State officials urge Trump to honor climate deal

By STEVE LeBLANC

Associated Press

Published: 05-31-2017 9:54 PM

BOSTON — Massachusetts officials urged President Donald Trump Wednesday not to withdraw the United States from a global climate agreement.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said it is “downright un-American for a president to abdicate American leadership to the great challenges facing our planet.” He said pulling out of the Paris agreement will turn the Unites States “from a climate leader into a climate laggard.”

“Keeping an empty campaign promise is not more important than keeping our promise to the world to combat climate change,” Markey said.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, also a Democrat, called global warming the moral issue of the times and said by withdrawing from the accord, Trump would be dragging the country backward.

“I hope he will set aside pride and vanity and think of his obligation and responsibility, not only as president of the United States but as the purported leader of the free world,” Healey said.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, tweeted that Trump is “about to surrender U.S. climate leadership on the world stage by pulling out of the Paris Agreement.”

Democratic U.S. Reps. Joe Kennedy and Niki Tsongas said pulling out of the compact will harm the environment, public health, businesses and local communities.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh also urged Trump not to pull out of the climate deal.

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The Democrat said Wednesday that plans for an international climate summit in Boston planned for later this year have stalled because of lack of support from the Trump administration.

The summit was announced last year in Beijing.

Criticism of the proposal to withdraw from the accord isn’t just coming from Democrats in Massachusetts.

Earlier this month the state’s top Republican — Gov. Charlie Baker — joined with Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, also a Republican, to urge Trump to continue the U.S. commitment to the climate agreement.

The two said in a letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry that maintaining the commitment to the agreement and to U.S. leadership on climate change will help protect future generations.

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