Ahead of this week's G-20 Summit in Germany a group of political figureheads from around the world has urged the G-20 to reassert its support for the "implementation of the Paris Agreement and further action on climate change."
In a statement on Wednesday the governors, ministers and premiers of Baden-Württemberg, California, South Australia and Catalonia – members of the Under2 Coalition – called on world leaders to "recognize the role of sub-national governments, states, regions, cities, in leading and delivering on climate action."
The Under2 coalition is made up of 176 cities, states and countries all committed to limiting greenhouse gas emissions to two tons per capita or 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050.
Edmund G. Brown Jr., the Governor of California, said that momentum was building all over the world "to deal seriously with climate change. Despite rejection in Washington, California is all in. We are fully committed to the Under2 Coalition and the Paris Agreement."
At the beginning of June, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, prompting a barrage of criticism from supporters of the accord.
"This agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries gaining a financial advantage over the United States," the president said at the time.
Last week, however, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "more determined than ever" to make a success of the Paris Agreement after Trump's decision to pull out, according to Reuters.
