FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Weeks, Director of Communications
202-525-2883, x306 | Katie.weeks@imt.org
Statement from IMT Executive Director Cliff Majersik on the U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
June 1, 2017— Washington, DC—The decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement illustrates a striking lack of Federal leadership amidst overwhelming U.S. business, local government, and citizen support of urgent action on climate change. We object to these efforts to reverse this critical work. We are encouraged, however, by the determination and leadership of U.S. cities, businesses, and citizens to continue the path to a more resilient, sustainable, and prosperous future.
Local U.S. leaders and businesses are already taking significant steps to reduce harmful pollution, with the understanding that they cannot delay efforts to make themselves more resilient in the face of global competition, changing climate, and increasingly extreme weather. IMT actively works with these government and market leaders to make a dramatic, positive impact on our cities’ health and prosperity by targeting their largest source of energy use and climate pollution: buildings. These leaders recognize that we cannot make significant, lasting progress toward critical climate goals without addressing building energy use. This positive movement will continue regardless of the Federal government’s position on the Paris Agreement.
In supporting city and business leaders as they explore a diversity of innovation, capture best practices, and collaborate to create permanent market change, we know firsthand that the results can be enormous. For example, we estimate that by 2030 the combined action of the 20 cities participating in the City Energy Project, a joint initiative of IMT and the Natural Resources Defense Council, could reduce energy bills by over $1.5 billion annually and reduce carbon pollution equivalent to taking 2 million passenger vehicles off the road each year. Engaging the real estate community, our Landlord-Tenant Energy Partnership aims to reduce energy use in leased U.S. space by 20 percent by 2020, unlocking $5 billion in savings and reducing emissions equivalent to taking 55 coal-fired power plants offline.
Two years ago, I joined world leaders at the Paris Climate Conference and the Climate Summit for Local Leaders to recognize and formalize international commitments to fighting climate change. Despite today’s announcement, we at the Institute for Market Transformation remain deeply committed to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement through wider deployment of energy efficiency.
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ABOUT IMT: The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) is a national nonprofit organization laser focused on increasing energy efficiency in buildings to save money, drive economic growth and job creation, reduce harmful pollution, and tackle climate change. IMT ignites greater investment in energy-efficient buildings through hands-on expert guidance, technical and market research, policy and program development and deployment, and promotion of best practices and knowledge exchange. IMT’s efforts lead to important new policy outcomes, widespread changes in practice, and ultimately, lasting market shifts toward greater energy efficiency, with substantial benefits for the economy and the environment. For more information, visit imt.org and follow us on Twitter at @IMT_speaks.