Dear John,
Saturday marks the five year anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement. On December 10, 2015, leading nations across the globe came together in Paris after weeks of negotiations and agreed to a concerted and ambitious effort to combat the climate crisis.
But a lot has happened since then.
On June 1, 2017, President Trump made a catastrophic announcement: his Administration intended to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, making ours the only country not participating in this historic accord. Ceres and our many partners vowed to not give up and quickly mobilized 900+ influential investors and companies around a clear and defiant pledge that declared: ‘We Are Still In.'
Since then the We Are Still In Coalition has grown to include 4,000+ leaders representing 159.3 million Americans and $9.5 trillion of the U.S. economy. And they have been working fervently to keep the U.S. on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement—despite the lack of federal action over the past four years.
On November 4, 2020, the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement became official. But just three days later, President Elect Joe Biden signaled that the U.S. would not only rejoin the Paris Agreement the day he takes office, but that his administration would convene a global summit to encourage other industrialized countries to pursue aggressive climate action.
And today ‘America Is ALL In.’
As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and look forward to the U.S. rejoining the rest of the world, America’s Pledge and We Are Still In reaffirm a deep commitment to tackling climate change anew. Along with our partners we will support the Biden-Harris Administration in its efforts to restore U.S. leadership, drive economic growth through job-creating sustainable investments, and reimagine community partnerships to advance just and equitable climate solutions while building resilience to climate change.
The U.S will be rejoining the Paris Agreement at a critical time for our planet and economy. Being “back in” gives the U.S. the authority to accelerate the commitments being made by the Biden-Harris Administration to tackle the climate crisis and to raise global ambition. And you can trust that Ceres will be ALL IN on pressing lawmakers to act on the climate crisis with even more urgency. |
Read about the implications of the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement in Ceres CEO and President Mindy Lubber’s most recent Forbes article.
We are now on a defined and hopeful path at the most crucial time for our planet and economy. Our efforts are coming to fruition and we have a real chance now to achieve that once lofty goal of limiting global warming to 1.5℃.
The light at the end of the climate tunnel is getting brighter by the day. |
Thank you.
 |
|
Anne L. Kelly
Vice President,
Government Relations
Ceres | |
