Governor Andrew Cuomo was among the governors and other public officials reacting to the decision by the Trump Administration to pull out of the Paris climate accord:
"The White House's reckless decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord has devastating repercussions not only for the United States, but for our planet. This administration is abdicating its leadership and taking a backseat to other countries in the global fight against climate change. New York State is committed to meeting the standards set forth in the Paris Accord regardless of Washington's irresponsible actions. We will not ignore the science and reality of climate change, which is why I am also signing an Executive Order confirming New York's leadership role in protecting our citizens, our environment, and our planet."
Cuomo, along with California Governor Jerry Brown and Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, also announced the formation of the United States Climate Alliance, a coalition that will convene U.S. states committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement and taking aggressive action on climate change.
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren also released a statement after Pres. Trump announced the U.S. would pull out of the climate accord:
"Today, President Trump announced his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accords - making us one of three countries in the entire world not a part of the agreement, alongside Syria and Nicaragua. The Paris agreement set our planet on a sustainable course, and it made me more confident in the world we will leave our children and their children. This reckless decision by President Trump goes against everything America stands for - and everything we are working on together here in Rochester."
"The recent wind storm, then snow storm and now flooding along Lake Ontario is evidence that climate change is real and we cannot wait to take action, and in Rochester, we are not waiting. The City of Rochester is in the final stages of developing our own Climate Action Plan in conjunction with the State of New York, we are building a solar farm on a former landfill site, we are bringing ride-sharing and bike-sharing programs to our City this summer to reduce our carbon footprint, installing LED lighting, adding green vehicles to our fleet and we recently completed our citywide recycling program. These efforts and more are important because we not only want Rochester to be a clean, green city today, but it must be one for generations to come."
