Those who believe that the Trump administration will end American leadership on climate change are making the same mistake as those who believe
that it will put coal miners back to work: overestimating Washington’s ability to influence energy markets, and underestimating the role that cities, states, businesses and consumers are playing in driving down emissions on their own.
Climate Progress, With or Without Trump -
By MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERGMARCH 31, 2017
President Trump’s unfortunate and misguided rollback of environmental protections has led to a depressing and widespread belief
that the United States can no longer meet its commitment under the Paris climate change agreement.
A week before President Trump signed the executive order to begin rolling back the Clean Power Plan, Moody’s Investor Service released a report concluding
that wind power could displace up to two-thirds of coal-fired power production in 15 Midwestern states.
In fact, even if the Clean Power Plan disappears entirely, we would still be in a position to meet our
Paris commitment, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, which works to replace coal with cleaner forms of energy (and which my foundation supports), projects
that more plant closings will get us to nearly two-thirds of our goal.
Michael R. Bloomberg is a former mayor of New York, the founder of Bloomberg L. P.
and the co-author, with Carl Pope, of the forthcoming “Climate of Hope.”
A version of this op-ed appears in print on March 31, 2017, on Page A23 of the New York edition with the headline: Climate Progress, Without Trump.