31 RESOLUTION NO. ________ _
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3 A Resolution of the Mayor and City Commission of the City of South Miami,
4 Florida, urging Governor Rick Scott to join the U.S. Climate Alliance which is
5 committed to upholding the Paris Accord and reducing carbon emissions.
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7 WHEREAS, on June 1,2017, President Trump announced that the U.S. will withdraw
8 from the international climate agreement known as the Paris Accord; and
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10 WHEREAS, on the same day, in an open letter ("Climate Mayors letter"), the mayors of
11 61 U.S. cities -from Burlington, Vermont, to Los Angeles -promised to meet commitments
12 agreed to under the international accord, namely cutting carbon emissions in an effort to ward off
13 the worst effects of global climate change; and
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15 WHEREAS, the Paris Agreement (a/k/a "Paris accord") is designed to keep the planet
16 from warming by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and relies on
17 voluntary cuts in emissions by all member nations; and.
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19 WHEREAS, California Governor Jerry Brown, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
20 and Washington Governor Jay Inslee anriounced the formation ofthe United States Climate
21 Alliance, a coalition that will bring together states committed to upholding the Paris Agreement;
22 and
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24 WHEREAS, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a co-signer ofthe Climate Mayors letter, told
25 HuffPost after Trump's announcement that, "The president's announcement is a call to greater
26 action, not less action. It's a call to a higher level of sensitivity, not a time for merely frustration
27 ... There's enough low-hanging fruit in America's major metros to still achieve our CO 2
28 reductions ... to the tune of about 25 to 35 percent"; and
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30 WHEREAS, the City of South Miami recognizes the reality of climate change and
31 supports the reduction of carbon emissions in an effort to ward off the worst effects of global
32 climate change; and
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34 WHEREAS, the City of South Miami has endorsed the Climate Mayors' letter to commit
35 to reducing carbon emissions in response to President Trump's announcement that the United
36 States is withdrawing from the Paris Accord; and
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38 WHEREAS, the number of cities that have endorsed the Climate Mayors' letter to
39 commit to reducing carbon emissions is ever increasing and, as of June 5th , 2017, numbered 212
40 cities that are also committed to upholding the Paris Accord; and
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42 WHEREAS, 1,200 business leaders, mayors, governors and college presidents have
43 signaled their personal commitment to the goal of reducing carbon emissions. In an open letter
44 the signatories vow to "continue to support climate action to meet the Paris Agreement" even "in
45 the absence ofleadership from Washington." Fn.1.
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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 _____ , 2017.
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM:
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY AND
EXECUTION THEREOF
CITY ATTORNEY
APPROVED:
MAYOR
COMMISSION VOTE:
Mayor Stoddard:
Vice Mayor Welsh:
Commissioner Edmond:
Commissioner Liebman:
Commissioner Harris:
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to-act-on-c1imate-even -as-u-s-lea ves-pari s-accord