Bloomberg Outlines Plan to Quantify U.S. Climate Efforts
Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg and the governor of California announced Wednesday a plan to quantify efforts by U.S. states, cities and businesses to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.
Bloomberg, the world's tenth richest person, leads more than 1,000 companies, organizations, state and local authorities who pledged to honor the Paris climate accord, after Donald Trump announced a US exit from the 190-plus nation pact.
Bloomberg and Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday announced an initiative to aggregate those commitments in a report on climate-related activities across U.S. society, in order to build on that momentum.
The initiative will outline a roadmap for increased climate action and show the international community how they can help the United States deliver on the Paris pledge regardless of the Trump exit, they said.
"The American government may have pulled out of the Paris Agreement, but American society remains committed to it -- and we will redouble our efforts to achieve its goals. We're already halfway there," said Bloomberg, a former New York mayor.
The United States -- the world's second largest greenhouse gas emitter after China -- pledged in the Paris climate deal to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming by 26 percent in a 20-year period by 2025.
Experts say the groundswell of support for emissions-curbing commitments might now help the United States reach its goals earlier than planned.
Bloomberg, 75, last month announced a $200 million plan to help cities solve problems in key areas including education, climate change and public health to circumvent what he called "partisan paralysis" in Washington.
Source: Agence France Presse
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