Trump's 'nonsense' has only strengthened resolve to fight climate change at local level, Coderre says
Mayor takes jab at U.S. president during an annual gathering of mayors and local leaders
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre took a shot Tuesday at Donald Trump as he kicked off a gathering of mayors from around the world, vowing that municipal leaders will band together to fight climate change despite the U.S. president's policies.
"I'd like to thank President Trump, because of his nonsense," Coderre said, explaining that the president's decision to withdraw the U.S. earlier this month from the landmark Paris climate agreement strengthened the resolve of local leaders to deal with environmental issues.
"Trust me, the mayors of the world will be able to deliver that accord of Paris," Coderre said in a morning speech at the Metropolis World Congress, an annual gathering of municipal leaders.
"I always said that you don't define the world through continents and countries anymore, but through cities."
The Paris agreement, a 190-nation pact to reduce earth-warming gases, went into effect for the U.S. in November 2016, but was abandoned earlier this month. Trump called the deal "very unfair to the United States."
Mayors counter Trump
Coderre's comments can be understood as part of a growing movement to address environmental and social issues at the local level.
Shortly after the U.S. backed out of the agreement, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, now a UN special envoy for cities and climate change, said emission levels in the U.S. "are determined far more by cities, states and businesses than they are by our federal government."
He also pledged the U.S. would still meet its commitment to reduce emissions by 26 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025.
A U.S.-based group known as the Climate Mayors now counts 175 members, all municipal leaders who have pledged to "honour and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement."
More than 140 mayors and 1,000 international and local delegates are gathering this week for the Metropolis World Congress at Montreal's Palais des congrès convention centre.
Among those attending are Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ron Huldai of Tel Aviv.
Coderre is the current president of the Metropolis World Congress.