U.S. Cities and the Paris Climate Accord

Of all of Trump’s bad impulses, his action on the one that takes the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord may have the most and the worst far-reaching consequences. The U.S. still sets a standard of leadership in the world, at least in the short-term. Besides the obvious fact that the U.S. is a major polluter and needs to get its house in order, the reasons for pulling out of the agreement do harm as well. This action betrays the goodwill of an international community attempting to deal with the calamity at our doorstep. This action is based on a craven political opportunism to a right-wing base who shape the mind-set of the President and his cowardly party.