SAN FRANCISCO, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Governor Jerry Brown of the U.S. state of California vowed Thursday to resist President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris agreement on climate change.
"California will resist this misguided and insane course of action," Brown said in a statement released before Trump finished his speech at Rose Garden of White House announcing his decision to withhold U.S. obligations under the international accord.
"Trump is AWOL but California is on the field, ready for battle," according to the written statement.
AWOL stands for Absent Without Official Leave, a term in the U.S. military, meaning away from military duties without permission.
As the sixth-largest economy in the world, California has advanced its nation-leading climate goals while also growing the economy, Brown noted, adding that in the last seven years, California has created 2.3 million new jobs, outpacing most of the United States, cut its unemployment rate in half, eliminated a 27 billion U.S. dollars budget deficit and has seen its credit rating rise to the highest in more than a decade.
"Donald Trump has absolutely chosen the wrong course. He's wrong on the facts. America's economy is boosted by following the Paris agreement. He's wrong on the science. Totally wrong," said Brown, who has been working to broaden collaboration among subnational leaders, under what is known as the Under2 MOU, a memorandum of understanding signed or endorsed by 170 jurisdictions around the world to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.
Representing 33 countries and six continents, the Under2 Coalition claims to represent more than 1.18 billion people and 27.5 trillion dollars in gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to 16 percent of the global population and 37 percent of the global economy.
Eighteen U.S. jurisdictions have joined the Under2 Coalition, representing 89 million people and 28 percent of the U.S. population.
Hours after releasing the first statement, Brown, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced the formation of the United States Climate Alliance, a coalition that will convene U.S. states committed to upholding the Paris agreement and taking action on climate change.
"The President has already said climate change is a hoax, which is the exact opposite of virtually all scientific and worldwide opinion," Brown said in the second statement of the day. "I don't believe fighting reality is a good strategy -- not for America, not for anybody. If the President is going to be AWOL in this profoundly important human endeavor, then California and other states will step up."
Together, representing over one-fifth of the country's GDP and about 68 million people, or nearly one-in-five Americans, the governors from California, New York and Washington said they will commit to achieving the U.S. goal of reducing emissions 26-28 percent from 2005 levels and meeting or exceeding the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan.
"New York State is committed to meeting the standards set forth in the Paris accord regardless of Washington's irresponsible actions," said Cuomo. "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."
The U.S. Climate Alliance will also act as a forum to sustain existing climate programs, promote the sharing of information and best practices, and implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions.
"I am proud to stand with other governors as we make sure that the inaction in (Washington) D.C. is met by an equal force of action from the states," said Governor Inslee of Washington state in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
"Today's announcement by the president leaves the full responsibility of climate action on states and cities throughout our nation. While the president's actions are a shameful rebuke to the work needed to protect our planet for our children and grandchildren, states have been and will continue to step up," Inslee added.
On his part, Brown will travel to China to strengthen the Golden State's climate, clean energy and economic ties with the nation, which he identified as a Pacific neighbor.
In an interview with Xinhua before his scheduled Friday departure, Brown explained the need to take action on climate change: "It is urgent. It is urgent because what we do today will create irreversible consequences in the years ahead. Time is running out. This is very serious. If the Himalayas start melting their ice more quickly, more dramatically, this will cause a lot of tension, a lot of suffering."
He pointed to the fact that in California, fires are not just in the summer, but are in "most of the year."
"We are experiencing already the effect of climate change," he said. "In 10, 15 or 20 years, the seas will be rising, the weather will be becoming far less benign, so it is imperative that we act."
Brown's office said the governor will also attend the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany, to represent subnational jurisdictions that remain committed to climate action.
