LULAC Condemns President Trump’s Decision to Withdraw from Paris Climate Accord
June 5, 2017
Washington, DC – On Thursday, June 1st, President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, a historic pact established in 2015 by representatives from 126 nations to combat climate change. This action would not only impact the environment, but would also directly affect the millions of Latinos who are often disproportionately affected by the dangerous consequences of climate change.
In response, LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. issued the following statement:
“The United States has the important responsibility to protect the American people and the global community against the severe dangers of climate change. As the biggest carbon polluter in history, President Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord is a shameful disregard for the health and safety of all Americans. The Latino community will particularly face the biggest health threats. Nearly 1 in 2 Latinos in the country live in counties with the worst air pollution. As a result, Latino children are twice as likely to die from asthma as non-Latino whites. In addition to the health implications, President Trump’s decision would be detrimental to the U.S. economy. The impacts of climate change have already cost the U.S. $3.7 billion in the U.S. alone. Pulling out of the agreement would threaten 1.2 million clean energy jobs. We must be environmental stewards to protect the future of our planet and the lives of our children who will have to endure the consequences of our actions."
The Trump administration's lengthy withdrawal process will take four years to complete. The official exit date would be November 4, 2020, the day after the next presidential election, making it so a future administration can decide to rejoin.
The Paris agreement highlights climate change as “urgent and potentially irreversible.” It states that it can only be addressed through “the widest possible cooperation by all countries.”
More than 60 representatives from American cities and states have pledged to move forward with their commitment to the Paris agreement.
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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.