06.01.17

Grijalva on Paris Withdrawal: Leaders of True Stature Don’t Sacrifice Lives, People’s Health to Prove How Smart and Tough They Are

Washington, D.C. – Following the Trump administration’s announcement that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement – making it one of only three nations on Earth, alongside Syria and Nicaragua, not to honor the groundbreaking deal – Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said the Trump administration and its allies have put countless human lives at risk to please a small circle of climate deniers with no credibility and little public support.

“The Trump administration and its climate denier allies have isolated themselves from the real world,” Grijalva said today. “Today’s announcement reminds me of the Bush official who dismissed the ‘reality-based community,’ and we all remember how well that went. Leaders of real stature don’t need to sacrifice human lives and Americans’ health to prove how smart and tough they are. If they have any hope of rebuilding their lost credibility, this administration and its apologists need to reverse course immediately and hire some people who understand the first thing about science.”

Trump’s announcement, Grijalva said, is unsurprising given the number of pro-polluter climate deniers in his administration. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and senior advisor Stephen Bannon have been widely reported as driving opposition to the Paris accord. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said of climate change at a March media briefing, “We're not spending money on that anymore. We consider that to be a waste of your money to go out and do that.”

Trump’s announcement underscores the administration’s ongoing struggle to explain its single-minded focus on coal production, especially as cleaner power sources continue to outperform coal economically. As CNN Money reported May 25, jobs in the solar power industry are growing 17 times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole:

Overall, more than 260,000 people work in the solar industry, up by 24% from 2015. […]

“It seems to be one of the few areas of high-paying, blue-collar jobs -- and you don't have to learn to code,” said Bryan Birsic, CEO of Wunder Capital, a fintech company that allows investors to help finance solar panel installations.

Awareness is also up as Americans concerned about climate change look for cleaner energy options.

Withdrawing from the Paris agreement, Grijalva said, will do nothing to help people looking to transition away from coal to a newer, more diverse and sustainable economic base.

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