If President Donald Trump ends up pulling out of the Paris climate accord, the decision could have ramifications for Northern Michigan.
9 & 10’s Blayke Roznowski and photojournalist Noah Jurik have reaction from Emmet County.
"It’s not surprising, but it is disappointing and I do think it’s a mistake," Freshwater Future associate director Ann Baughman said.
"I think it locks us into something that is not going to be beneficial to the United States," Emmet County Republican Party chair Dennis Kelly said.
There have been mixed reviews to President Trump’s possible climate deal pullout.
Freshwater Future says it would be a step backward in the effort to slow climate change.
"We’ve had several extreme storms in the state where they’ve dropped six inches of rain in a 24 hour period. Those used to be 100, 500 years storms, but now they’re starting to occur more frequently," Baughman said.
The chair of the Emmet County Republican Party says the mistake was getting into the deal in the first place, leading to job loss in the coal industry.
"They have lost those jobs," Kelly said. "The coal mining states and what not, yes, they’ve been starving and in terrible shape and I think Donald Trump is going to resurrect that whole industry."
Regardless of what happens, Freshwater Future says anyone can still help create a smaller carbon footprint.
"We can make our homes as energy efficient as possible." "We can walk more places," Baughman said. "Reducing your electrical use, carpooling, very simple things we can do that can really have an impact."
An announcement from the president regarding whether to pull from the Paris climate accord is expected to happen in the next few days.
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