Washington D.C. – While the Obama administration did a lot to advance climate protection in the US, the real climate action is taking place in cities. American cities like Portland intend to continue their carbon reduction plans, even under a Trump administration.
The international community is currently gathered in Marrakesh to discuss actual implementation of the Paris climate agreement. Cities contributed greatly to formulating the agreement last December, with around a dozen mayors from the US alone in Paris. Their message: cities have been taking concrete climate action for some time. Portland will continue on this path to climate resilience, said its mayor Charles Hales in an interview with Citiscope when asked about the effect Donald Trump’s surprise election victory will have on climate protection in the US.
One result of the Trump win is that American cities will be at some pains to assure cities around the world that they will still move forward with their climate action plans and can be counted on as reliable partners. "But the truth is that most of the innovation and action on climate change is happening in the cities,” said Hales. On the other hand, a climate-friendly administration helps: Portland was able to reduce its carbon footprint thanks to a USD 1 billion electrically powered light rail, much of which was made possible through a 50 per cent grant from the federal government.
Urban leaders across the country still can’t predict the impact of last week’s election results on US cities, explained Hales. But one thing is certain: cities committed to climate action will continue on this path – with or without the help of the national government.
