The mayor of Pittsburgh fired back at President Trump Thursday for his use of the city in rationalizing withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, saying the city will continue to follow the deal.
Bill Peduto (D) tweeted Thursday that “it’s now up to cities to lead” after Trump announced that the U.S. will pull out of the Paris climate deal.
Trump referenced Pittsburgh in his speech announcing the decision to withdraw, saying, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
{mosads}Peduto fired back, tweeting, “Fact: Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh stands with the world & will follow Paris Agreement.”
Peduto also hit back at a tweet from press secretary Sean Spicer quoting Trump’s comments on Pittsburgh.
“As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future,” he wrote.
Trump also referenced Youngstown, Ohio, and Detroit in his speech as cities that he is prioritizing by withdrawing from the agreement. Clinton won each of the counties by wide margins.
Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that pulling out of the Paris deal is the U.S. rejecting global leadership, but that “our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.”
The U.S. Conference of Mayors said it strongly opposes Trump’s withdrawal from the climate accord and vowed to continue plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the effects of global warming.
“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,” Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, chairman of conference’s environment committee, said in a statement.
“A thriving economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are compatible by focusing on new technology, investing in renewable fuel sources, and increasing our energy efficiency,” he added.
In December 2015, 464 mayors from 115 countries gathered in Paris to affirm their commitment to addressing climate change.