Letter to The President, Donald J. Trump - Request to Reverse Course on Paris Climate Agreement

Letter

Dear Mr. President,

As of May 24, 2017, one hundred forty-seven parties of the one hundred ninety-five signatories to the Paris Agreement have ratified, accepted, or approved the Paris Agreement, including the United States. The Paris Agreement creates a framework for nations to pledge to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the agreement recognizes climate change as a concern of humankind, which effect human health, food sustainability, and economic development. A large majority of scientists and governments acknowledge that stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases and avoiding further climate degradation will require a unified plan by all major emitters. This is an opportunity for the United States to expand and lead in new low-carbon energy technologies.

It is widely agreed that human-related greenhouse gas emissions have and will continue to contribute to the Earth's climate warming. Climate projections indicate, human-related emissions, will cause sea levels to rise and create worsening weather phenomena. The Paris Agreement aims to combat this by requiring nations submit pledges to abate their greenhouse emissions and set goals to adapt to climate change. Without a thorough legal enforcement mechanism the agreement demonstrates our moral obligation to fight against climate change and protecting those most vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change.

Surrounded by coastlines, Florida understands the impact climate change has on homeowners and tourists. The rise in sea level, due to global warming, is causing an observable effect on Florida's natural ecosystem and presents challenges to maintaining drainage systems, beaches, and coastal highways. Florida's infrastructure was not designed to deal with a rise in sea level, which causes salt water intrusion to freshwater aquifers, flooding, and soil saturation disrupting freshwater drinking supplies and contaminating wetlands. Florida ecosystems, such as the Everglades, the Ten Thousand Islands, and the Big Bend coastline are already exhibiting signs of sea-level stress.

Additionally, one thousand companies and investors have signed a letter urging that the United States to re-affirm its commitment to addressing climate change through implementation of the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement has received support from technology, health, retail, energy, and oil industries. They agree the Paris Agreement will help generate new jobs, limit damage from climate, and assert American leadership in new technologies. Withdrawing from the agreement will limit business access to the global clean technologies market, hurting American workers and companies. An analysis by ICF International estimates that investing in clean energy would create 1 million new jobs in America by 2030 and 2 million jobs by 2050. Florida was on track to see 109,000 new jobs tied to clean energy construction and manufacturing by 2030 and 206,000 jobs by 2050.

United States leadership in combating climate change and maintaining leadership in technological innovation is crucial to our security and prosperity. We urge you to reverse course and remain in the Paris Agreement, and to express your support to keeping United States businesses competitive in the clean technologies global market.