History

In 2015 the countries of the world came together in Paris and pledged to reduce their carbon footprint in an effort to keep global warming below 2 degree Celsius, a value believed to be critical to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate changes.

In 2017 President Donald Trump pulled the United States –arguable the biggest polluter on the planet by a number different metrics– out of the Paris Climate Accord. In his justification he claimed to represent the people of Pittsburgh rather than the people of Paris. The only problem with this claim is that the people of Pittsburgh overwhelmingly voted for a candidate who had vowed to keep the US in the Paris Climate Accord. So we were kind of pissed to see the name of our city be abused in this way. As our mayor pointed out, Pittsburgh is the best example for the economic benefits that arise when a city embraces a technology-based future, rather than trying to return to a long-lost fossil-fueled past. 

We detest the notion that Pittsburgh should be turned into a rallying cry for people who oppose the efforts to combat man-made climate change. What better way to counter this false narrative by turning Pittsburgh into a symbol that every single one of us can and must make a difference to help save our planet. We sincerely hope that the Pittsburgh Climate Accord will in some big or small way help the United States keep its original pledge made in 2015 at the Convention on Climate Change in Paris.