‘A stunning display of ignorance and hubris’ by Trump

WSLC’s Johnson decries Trump’s withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord

(June 2, 2017) — The following statement was issued by Jeff Johnson, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:

In a stunning display of ignorance and hubris, President Trump turned his back on the global commitment to address climate change by beginning the process to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord.

At a time when we should be doubling down on investing in the clean renewable energy economy, President Trump wants to steer an energy course back to the 1950s. For Trump, fulfilling false campaign promises to fossil fuel companies and workers is more important than the future health and prosperity of our children and grandchildren.

Despite President Trump’s retrograde vision of the world, reality goes on. We can take solace that the majority of countries of the world will continue to fight against our planet’s gravest collective threat.

If the president truly wants to make America great again, then he should get behind a plan to invest in a clean and renewable energy and infrastructure plan that is 10-fold larger than the investments in the Marshall Plan. A plan that creates millions of non-fossil fuel jobs. A plan that provides a just and equitable transition for all fossil fuel workers and communities that now rely on fossil fuels.

Such a plan could help save us from the ravages of severe climate change, create an unparalleled period of economic growth, and provide a healthy and prosperous future for generations to come.

Jeff Johnson is President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, the largest labor organization in the Evergreen State, representing the interests of more than 600 local unions and approximately 450,000 rank-and-file union members.

Johnson was part of the labor delegation that attended the Paris Climate Conference (COP 21) on Dec. 6-12, 2015. He and other labor leaders advocated for policies that aggressively address climate change while providing for a “Just Transition” that invests in the communities and working families that will be hardest hit by the transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy.