Philanthropists and foundations reacted swiftly and angrily to President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, with many pledging resources to help meet the treaty’s goals despite the pullback by the U.S. government.
Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg pledged up to $15 million “to help fill the gap left by the U.S. government backing out of its commitments.”
The money will go to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to offset the loss in U.S. contributions.
“Americans will honor and fulfill the Paris agreement by leading from the bottom up — and there isn’t anything Washington can do to stop us,” Bloomberg said in a statement.”
The $15 million pledge is part of a larger coordinated effort by state and local governments, business leaders, and academic institutions, led by Mr. Bloomberg, to meet the climate treaty’s obligations independently of the federal government, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Conservative nonprofits including Americans for Prosperity and the Heritage Foundation praised the president’s decision, with Heritage saying, “The Paris Agreement was costly and ineffective.” Heritage added, “There is nothing about leaving the agreement that prevents Americans from continuing to invest in new energy technologies.”
Business Focus
Much in the same way the president’s proposed immigration restrictions mobilized civil-rights groups and their supporters, Mr. Trump’s action on climate change appears to have sparked a broad-based reaction from nonprofits and environmentalists.
Many of their statements were directed at pressuring or flattering businesses into rallying around the need to address climate change, saying that they had the power to change the course of history.
“Hundreds of U.S. companies — large and small — have declared their support for continuing U.S. leadership on climate change and the Paris Agreement,” Nature Conservancy’s President Mark Tercek said in a statement. “These companies recognize that proactively addressing climate change will be a driver of innovation, economic growth and prosperity.”
The Hewlett Foundation pledged to work with businesses and people “from across the political spectrum” on climate solutions. “We take heart in the breadth of the constituencies stepping up to deal with climate change,” it said in a statement.
Elon Musk, the billionaire darling of the environmental community, announced he was quitting Mr. Trump’s business advisory council “as a matter of principle” immediately after Mr. Trump announced his decision on the Paris accord.
Musk’s company, Tesla, which produces high-performance batteries and electric cars, has attracted investments from foundations interested in fighting climate change.
Celebrity philanthropists including Leonardo DiCaprio jumped on Twitter, urging followers to support organizations that are fighting climate change.
Global Leadership
The ClimateWorks Foundation stressed the role that it and other organizations will play in persuading the world not to “give up on America.”
“No single government — even one as powerful as the U.S. — can knock the world off the course charted in the Paris agreement,” President Charlotte Pera wrote in a statement.
MacArthur Foundation President Julia Stasch said that the grant maker, which has committed more than $120 million to climate change since 2015, is optimistic about the prospects for continued progress, citing India and China in particular as potential leaders on the issue.
Bill O’Keefe, vice president for government relations and advocacy for Catholic Relief Services, called Mr. Trump’s move a “terrible” decision that will make it harder for international organizations to help poor people around the world because of increased droughts and coastal flooding. He also noted that the decision comes at a time when Mr. Trump has proposed cutting international assistance.
“Withdrawing from Paris and cutting foreign assistance is a double whammy to millions around the world,” he said in a statement.
Some of the reactions were more visceral.
“The Trump administration just committed assault and battery on the future of the American people,” billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer said in his statement. “There can be no excuse for this willful crime, but the rest of us must resolve to continue the fight for a wiser and more just course of action.”
