Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane said Monday that she has signed on to a national Climate Mayors agreement opposing the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accords.
McFarlance had already joined U.S. mayors in opposition through her membership in the U.S. Conference of Mayors, her office said.
“Mayor McFarlane is signed on to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement through the US Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan effort that includes over one thousand mayors that have signed on from across the United States,” her office said in a statement Monday morning.
In addition, McFarlane, who is seeking a sixth term as mayor in October, recently joined the group Climate Mayors. Both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Climate Mayors group have spoken out against withdrawal from the Paris agreement of 2016.
“The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a strong proponent of the need to address climate change and we support the Paris agreement, which positions the world’s nations, including the United States, to be energy-independent, self-reliant, and resilient,” said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stantion, who chairs the Conference of Mayors’ environment committee.
Twelve other North Carolina mayors have signed the agreement opposing the action by President Trump to release the U.S. from the Paris accords. These officials represent Durham, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Greensboro, Brevard, Franklin, and Highlands.
“Mayor McFarlane remains engaged in this important issue and is looking forward to working with her fellow mayors at the annual USCM conference this June, where support of the Paris Climate Accord will feature prominently in the discussion of the Energy Independence and Climate Protection Task Force,” the mayor’s office’s statement said.
Most Republicans in the U.S. Congress are supporting Trump’s decision to abandon the accords, while Democrats and a few GOP members have criticized the move.
