Michael Bloomberg Contributes $4.5 Million For Paris Climate Deal After Trump Bails
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will write a $4.5 million check to fund the United Statesâ annual commitment to the Paris climate deal after President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact.
Bloomberg, a billionaire philanthropist and the United Nationsâ special envoy for climate action, said Sunday he will fill the U.S. funding gap after Congress said it would only pay $3 million this year to the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat. In past years, the U.S. had pledged around $7.5 million annually.
âAmerica made a commitment, and as an American, if the governmentâs not going to do it, we all have responsibility,â Bloomberg said on CBSâ âFace the Nation.â âIâm able to do it, so, yes, Iâm going to send them a check for the monies that America had promised to the organization as though they got it from the federal government.â
Bloomberg said he would consider bankrolling the American commitment next year if the U.S. again fails to pay. But he expressed hope that Trump would change his mind and rejoin the Paris accord.
âHe should change his mind and say, look there really is a problem here,â Bloomberg said. âAmerica is part of the problem. America is a big part of the solution and we should go in and help the world stop a potential disaster.â
Bloombergâs pledge was hailed by Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Achieving the goals of the #ParisAgreement takes broad-based global #climateaction in all sectors, public and private https://t.co/95LkDQQeoU
I therefore welcome the generous contribution from @BloombergDotOrg to the work of the @UNFCCC secretariat pic.twitter.com/yJqzvFdaeCâ Patricia Espinosa C. (@PEspinosaC) April 22, 2018
I am very grateful to @MikeBloomberg, not only for his generous support to the United Nations but also for his global leadership on climate action https://t.co/O2N7Y973d7 #EarthDay
â AntĂłnio Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 22, 2018
Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement last year, fulfilling a campaign promise and dealing a heavy blow to American involvement in the climate fight. In recent months, Trumpâs top environmental deputies, Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt and Interior Department chief Ryan Zinke, have worked to undo environmental protections.
The U.S. also had pledged to pay $3 billion into the Green Climate Fund, which helps poorer countries adapt to climate change. Trump cut that payment after complaining it was too expensive.
Bloomberg has been instrumental in efforts to make up the U.S. governmentâs failure to keep commitments under the Paris deal. He helped launch the group Americaâs Pledge with California Gov. Jerry Brown (D.), a coalition of states and businesses working to meet U.S. agreements under the deal.
âThe U.S. pledged to work with the rest of the world to fight climate change under the Paris Agreement, and that includes providing our fair share of the funding to help countries reach their goals,â Bloomberg said in a statement Sunday. âOur foundation will uphold our promise to cover any cuts to UN climate funding by the Federal government â and the American people will uphold our end of the Paris Agreement, with or without Washington.â
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.