FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 01, 2017

American Chemical Society comments on the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2017 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) is disappointed to learn that the Trump administration plans to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Society asks that this and future administrations reconsider this decision. The agreement, signed by 197 countries in 2015 and ratified by 147, is needed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and mitigate and adapt to climate change.

“Climate change represents a real and current threat to our economy, health and welfare,” says ACS Executive Director and CEO Thomas Connelly Jr., Ph.D. “America should continue to take the lead in addressing global greenhouse gas emissions and become a leader in sustainable energy production and technology.”

ACS believes that international cooperation is crucial to addressing climate change, and the Society will work with its colleagues in the scientific, industry and policy fields to improve global sustainability. As the Society’s public policy on climate change notes:

“The American Chemical Society (ACS) acknowledges that climate change is real, is serious and has been influenced by anthropogenic activity. Unmitigated climate change will lead to increases in extreme weather events and will cause significant sea level rise, causing property damage and population displacement. It also will continue to degrade ecosystems and natural resources, affecting food and water availability and human health, further burdening economies and societies. Continued uncontrolled GHG emissions will accelerate and compound the effects and risks of climate change well into the future.”

ACS maintains a Climate Science Toolkit for its members and the public with information to help individuals understand and communicate the science behind climate change. In addition, ACS joined with a number of leading scientific societies in June 2016 to send a letter to policymakers on the science of climate change.

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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