Res No 129-17-14930RESOLUTION NO. 129-17-14930
A Resolution of the Mayor and City Commission of the City of South Miami,
Florida, urging Governor Rick Scott to join the U.S. Climate Alliance which is
committed to upholding the Paris Accord and reducing carbon emissions.
WHEREAS, on June 1,2017, President Trump announced that the U.S. will withdraw
from the international climate agreement known as the Paris Accord; and
WHEREAS, on the same day, in an open letter ("Climate Mayors letter"), the mayors of
61 U.S. cities -from Burlington, Vermont, to Los Angeles -promised to meet commitments
agreed to under the international accord, namely cutting carbon emissions in an effort to ward off
the worst effects of global climate change; and
WHEREAS, the Paris Agreement (aJk/a "Paris accord") is designed to keep the planet
from warming by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and relies on
voluntary cuts in emissions by all member nations; and
WHEREAS, California Governor Jerry Brown, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
and Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the formation of the United States Climate
Alliance, a coalition that will bring together states committed to upholding the Paris Agreement;
and
WHEREAS, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a co-signer of the Climate Mayors letter, told
HuffPost after Trump's announcement that, "The president's announcement is a call to greater
action, not less action. It's a call to a higher level of sensitivity, not a time for merely frustration
... There's enough low-hanging fruit in America's major metros to still achieve our CO 2
reductions ... to the tune of about 25 to 35 percent"; and
WHEREAS, the City of South Miami recognizes the reality of climate change and
supports the reduction of carbon emissions in an effort to ward off the worst effects of global
climate change; and
WHEREAS, the City of South Miami has endorsed the Climate Mayors' letter to commit
to reducing carbon emissions in response to President Trump's announcement that the United
States is withdrawing from the Paris Accord; and
WHEREAS, the number of cities that have endorsed the Climate Mayors' letter to
. commit to reducing carbon emissions is ever increasing and, as of June 5th , 2017, numbered 212
cities that are also committed to upholding the Paris Accord; and
WHEREAS, 1,200 business leaders, mayors, governors and college presidents have
signaled their personal commitment to the goal of reducing carbon emissions. In an open letter
the signatories vow to "continue to support climate action to meet the Paris Agreement" even "in
the absence ofleadership from Washington." Fn.l.
Pg. 2 of Res. No. 129-17-14930
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA THAT:
Section 1. The City of South Miami strongly advocates that the State of Florida and
Governor Rick Scott join the US Climate Alliance which has been formed by twelve states and
Puerto Rico, all of whom are committed to upholding the Paris Accord.
Section 2. The City Clerk is instructed to send a copy of this resolution to Governor Rick
Scott, all members of his cabinet, all members of the Florida legislature and the Florida League
of Cities.
Section 3. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is for
any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
Section 4. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon
adoption by vote of the City Commission.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this~ day of_J_u_n_e ____ , 2017.
COMMISSION VOTE: 4 -0
Mayor Stoddard: Yea
Vice Mayor Welsh: Yea
Commissioner Edmond: Yea
Commissioner Liebman: absent
Commissioner Harris: Yea
Fn 1. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/20 17/06/05/531603731 Imayors-companies-vow-
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