Brooklyn Officials Respond To Trump’s Pulling Out of Paris Accord

Last Thursday, President Trump announced his withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement is a 2015 climate deal made by 195 countries around the world with a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in average global temperatures.

The main goal of the Paris deal is to limit rising global temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 Fahrenheit). Experts argue if temperatures rise higher than this, the planet will suffer irreversible effects from climate change. Environmental regulations passed under President Barack Obama would have seen U.S. efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent below levels in 2005.

Governor Cuomo responded to Trump’s decision by forming the United States Climate Alliance with the governors of California and Washington, in which they will lead states that are “committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement” and take “aggressive action on climate change.”

“This is a threat to New York City directly,” Mayor de Blasio said on the Brian Lehrer Show last Friday. “We’re a coastal city. We already experienced Sandy. If climate change worsens, New York City will be hurt. So, we have to take the proportional action for our own good.”

Later, the mayor signed an executive order instructing NYC agencies to “adopt and commit to the principles and goals set forth in the Paris Agreement.”

As de Blasio noted, many Brooklyn districts are located along the waterfront. Here’s how some Brooklyn officials have responded to Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Accord.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams tweeted the below message following the president’s announcement:

Council Member Stephen Levin (whose District 33 includes coastal neighborhoods—DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint) also tweeted:

When reached for comment, a representative for Congressman Dan Donovan, whose 11th Congressional District of New York includes parts of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Gravesend, and Bath Beach, provided the following statement:

“I recognize the concerns President Trump has raised regarding the Paris Climate Accord, and I support his efforts to improve and amend the agreement. It’s critical that we prioritize negotiations and diplomatic engagement to create a proposal that balances reducing emissions around the globe with U.S. economic interests.

The rise of extreme weather events due to climate change, like Superstorm Sandy, poses a significant risk to the safety of millions of Americans, businesses and properties, and we cannot ignore the need for innovative, market-based solutions that protect our environment and make our communities more resilient. That’s why I’m a cosponsor of H Res 195, which supports the need to combat climate change and conserve our natural resources for generations to come.

Our goal should always be to put forth and support policies that protect our planet and strengthen job opportunities here at home.”

New York State Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, whose 45th Assembly District includes parts of Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Gravesend, and Brighton Beach, made the following statement about the Paris Accord:

“The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy is still fresh in the mind of everyone living in our shorefront communities. One thing we took away from that so-called unprecedented event was the realization that climate change is real, urgent, and must be dealt with so that our communities are never again left unprepared for weather-related emergencies.”

“I condemn the decision to leave the Paris Accord because it denies the terrible realities that we have already experienced, and will continue to experience, due to climate change, both locally and globally,” Cymbrowitz continues. “We deserve better from our federal government, but even more, so do our children and grandchildren. To ignore science is to put us all in peril.”

In a statement dated June 2, Council Member Brad Lander, whose District 39 includes the Columbia Waterfront, said:

“By leaving the Paris Climate Accord, Trump is not just spitting on the rest of the world (though he is doing that, to be sure, since the U.S. is the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases). He is playing Russian roulette (pun very much intended) with our kids’ future.”

Lander also attended the Rally for our Waterfronts on June 1 at City Hall.

Council Member Carlos Menchaca, whose District 38 includes Red Hook and Sunset Park, provided the following statement to BKLYNER:

“New York City has already felt the impacts of climate change in areas like Red Hook in Brooklyn. I am proud that cities and states are leading our nation with pledges of support for the Paris Climate Agreement,” he says.

“Damaging decisions at the federal level will not keep us from building a safer and more resilient City. Our safety and economic security depend on recognizing the facts of climate change and taking decisive action now.”

BKLYNER also reached out to NYC Council Members Chaim Deutsch (whose District 48 includes Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Sheepshead Bay) and Mark Treyger (whose District 47 includes Bensonhurst, Coney Island, and Sea Gate) for their comments on Trump’s withdrawing the United States from the Paris Accord. We will update this post if they respond.