Cities all over the world glowed green in support of The Paris Agreement
If you’ve been jet-setting around the globe or just scrolling through Twitter, you may have noticed international monuments awash in a green glow. What’s that about, you ask? The green light represents each nation’s dedication to the Paris climate accord, a monumental agreement to mitigate global warming as agreed upon by 195 countries. Whoa! And well, a bigger whoa is the fact that President Trump just yanked the U.S. out of this historic agreement.
Countries across this magnificent globe protested this decision and stood green with Mother Earth.
Barcelona
#Barcelona has a message for @realDonaldTrump: "The Planet First!" #ParisAgreement 🌎🍃 pic.twitter.com/ISAwaz4k8B
— C40 Cities (@c40cities) June 2, 2017
Montreal
Montreal salutes you and supports you Bill. Cities from the world supports #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/U3nLbxcVPs
— DenisCoderre (@DenisCoderre) June 2, 2017
Mexico City
🇲🇽Mexico City lighted city hall & monuments green to express his commitment to the #ParisAgreement 🇲🇽 #Cities4Climate pic.twitter.com/EQHXBC8fBb
— C40 Cities (@c40cities) June 2, 2017
Many Americans did not take kindly to President Trump’s announcement. They showed their deep disappointment by taking action. The governors of California, New York and Washington formed a coalition to aggressively combat climate change. Mayors across 61 U.S. cities issued an open letter, protesting the withdrawal. In it, they boldly stated:
“We will intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ current climate goals, push for new action to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and work together to create a 21st century clean energy economy… The world cannot wait — and neither will we.
Cities across our awesome nation also lit up green in an act of solidarity and righteous rebellion against President’s Trump withdrawal.
New York
World: the Empire State stands with you. New York shines green for our planet, our health and our children's future. #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/Ubw7WSPgu0
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 2, 2017
Washington, D.C.
Tonight the Wilson Building turns green in honor of DC's continued commitment to the #ParisAgreement. #ClimateMayors pic.twitter.com/beqQyVEISz
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 2, 2017
Boston
City Hall is green tonight. Boston stands with the environment. We must protect our future. #ParisAccord pic.twitter.com/yTL5albn2f
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) June 2, 2017
Other prominent Americans expressed their disapproval. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, promptly left President Trump’s advisory business council.
Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017
And Disney CEO Bob Iger…
As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) June 1, 2017
According to Vox, the Earth’s average surface temperature rose approximately 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since the early 20th Century. What does this mean? Glaciers and ice sheets are melting. Sea levels are rising. There’s more humidity in the atmosphere. If we continue on this trend, Vox says we will face “substantial species extinction, large risks to global and regional food security, and the risk of irreversibly destabilizing Greenland’s massive ice sheet.”
Well, we definitely don’t want that! It’s up to us to change the way things are headed. We’re ready to get our hands dirty and join the fight.
