Mayor To Sign Order Committing Chicago To Terms Of Paris Climate Deal
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After President Donald Trump announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he'll sign an executive order committing Chicago to the guidelines of the agreement.
"Chicago is doubling down, officially, on the Paris Agreement's goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels," the mayor's office said in a statement Tuesday night.
The executive order states, in part:
"Chicagoans are already experiencing the harmful impacts of climate change locally with the frequency of heavy rainfall events doubling since the 1970s, and expectations that higher temperatures, more heat waves, greater precipitation, and more frequent and intense storms will occur in the future, disproportionally affecting our most vulnerable populations."
The executive order directs all city departments to work together to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The mayor's office noted Emanuel reached a deal to close two coal-fired power plants earlier than expected in 2012, and committed to shift the city and its sister agencies to 100 percent renewable power by 2025. It also said the city has reduced its carbon emissions by 7 percent from 2010 to 2015, and has increased recycling and reduced the use or disposable plastic bags.