Barack Obama Responds to President Trump's Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal

A year and a half ago, the world came together in Paris around the first-ever global agreement to set the world on a low-carbon course and protect the world we leave to our children.

It was steady, principled American leadership on the world stage that made that achievement possible. It was bold American ambition that encouraged dozens of other nations to set their sights higher as well. And what made that leadership and ambition possible was America’s private innovation and public investment in growing industries like wind and solar – industries that created some of the fastest new streams of good-paying jobs in recent years, and contributed to the longest streak of job creation in our history.

Simply put, the private sector already chose a low-carbon future. And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale.

The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.

It’s curious to me that the left seems to think that they’re “getting even” with Trump by having cities and States follow the guidelines of the Paris accord. Does anyone else perceive that?

I wonder why they think that.

Isn’t the whole idea to get people to make up their own minds about things and take action from there? That is, not to be forced?

Someone help me understand. Moonbeam “threatened” to have California follow the Paris climate agreement. “Threatened”, really.

Now 0bama is encouraging cities and states to do what they’ve always been able to - voluntarily follow the accord as promulgated by local and/or state _elected_ representatives.

Why is there a need for this climate agreement? Nobody is prevented from following it should they so desire...

If it was so dam good, why didn’t you ratify it by means of the constitution with 2/3 of the Senate? Why did you use a back door agreement to ratify this piece of excrement? Why, don’t have the votes for this great treaty? And you rat bastard Republicans allowing this shit to go forward during the last administration and not a peep. I can’t stand the uni-party!!

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