March for Science Statement on the United States’ Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement
Science was ignored today. The decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement stands in stark opposition to the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is a real and active threat to communities around the world and to future generations. In addition, the fact that this decision was made without the input of a Presidential science advisor — a position that, like most of the key scientific leadership positions in the Administration, remains unfilled — is deeply troubling to all those who care about the role of science in informing policy.
The United States’ withdrawal from this global agreement is completely out of step with the views of a majority of Americans in all 50 states who support participation in the Paris Agreement, as well as the findings of social scientists that show action on climate change can bolster economies. It surrenders America’s role as a leader in the fight against climate change and betrays our responsibility to not only the more than 190 countries that joined together for this unprecedented action to protect our health and prosperity, but also the already vulnerable communities that will suffer disproportionately in the face of inaction.
Further, the decision ignores the voices of the more than one million people in 600 communities around the world who marched to support the role of science in policy-making.
The March for Science is committed to mobilizing scientists, science advocates and concerned citizens to support evidence-based action on issues at the intersection of science and policy, including climate change. In the absence of leadership from the current Administration, we urge decision-makers in towns, counties, cities and states across the United States to join with the nearly 200 countries around the globe to heed the science on climate change and continue to take action to address this global threat to public health, global economies, and national security.
