Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope has joined the chorus of those opposing American President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“Through our involvement as a member of the Great Lakes Initiative, Chatham-Kent is in complete support of the Agreement,” Hope said. “In fact, we are using the principles of the agreement to guide us in planning decisions.”
Hope said climate change can’t be denied or ignored and dealing with it requires cooperation, not isolationism. “This is a problem that calls for leadership and vision. I’m disappointed because the U.S. stance shows neither.”
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (Cities Initiative), a coalition representing 130 United States and Canadian mayors and their communities of over 17 million people, last Thursday released a statement strongly denouncing Trump’s plan to back out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change which the United States signed last year..
The release called the decision “short sighted, ill advised, and not in the best interests of the people of the United States, Canada, or the world. With climate change posing one of the greatest threats to the planet and its water, it is unacceptable for the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions not to participate in this global effort.”
“This action by the Trump administration confirms a total lack of understanding and appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge presented by climate change,” added Executive Director of the Cities Initiative David Ullrich, “The future economic well-being and quality of life of our region depend on our collective efforts to solve this problem.”
The Chatham-Kent Community Energy Plan, (CEP) approved in late 2016, sets the direction for managing energy use and supply within the community over the next 20 years to promote a more sustainable, affordable, and liveable community.
The CEP aligns Chatham-Kent with international, federal, and provincial climate change initiatives, recognizing that these targets can only be reached with the cumulative commitment from communities across Canada and throughout the world.
Chatham-Kent was an early adopter and is the largest key supporter of renewable energy in Ontario. The CEP builds on Chatham-Kent’s leadership in renewable energy and promotes further improvement in energy efficiency, leading to associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It supports the Chatham-Kent Plan 2035 key strategies of economic prosperity, a healthy and safe community, people and culture, and environmental sustainability.
Chatham-Kent is also supporting the provincial climate change strategy, linking local energy planning with provincial, regional energy planning, and identifying resources available from the provincial government to drive energy performance improvements within the community.
– Photo credit: Max Goldberg, Submitted photo
