16 Comments - Clark - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 11:15 am: Instead of doing this for good press, I think this alliance should go a step further and put in actual consequences for not doing anything to reduce CO2 emissions. - Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 11:15 am: On WBEZ last Friday, Rauner was asked whether IL should join the US Climate Alliance. He gave lip service to the environment and then praised himself for getting the Exelon bailout passed. Never answered the question. I can’t imagine Uehlein or Griffin would be ok with it so never gonna happen under this governor. - Anotheretiree - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 11:21 am: My issue !!!Good idea but it may be too late anyway. I’ve seen a change in my 60 years. In the 1960’s we stopped fishing in October for duck season. The lake froze over the 1st week of December and stayed until the 1st week of March. Hard water for 25% of the year right here in Central Il. distant memory now. The people in Wisconsin are worried about their coolwater fishery (Walleye) which are declining. Our Bass based fishery is advancing there(or following Rauners advice ?). Illinois has already move to Kentucky climatewise. Its headed to the Rio Grande. I’ve thought for awhile, if you want to stay current climatewise, a generational migration is required. About 300 miles per generation.The Grandkids will need to learn to speak Candian eh… - Robert the 1st - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 11:30 am: We should all be proud to have so many noble and selfless leaders in our state. - ChrisB - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 11:31 am: That pesky US Constitution… “Section 10 1: No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.” - OkComputer - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 11:38 am: This is good organizing - hockey fan - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 12:23 pm: ChrisB - this is not a treaty. This is an alliance of states that are pledging to abide by the emissions reductions goals. Good for them this is the right thing to do - Retiree’s comments are accurate and sad. Our IL climate is changing permanently. the DNR folks know it - even if they can’t say it. - Free Set of Steak Knives - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 12:37 pm: Rauner campaigned hard on his environmental credentials. Enacting kitten hunting was a betrayal of that promise. Refusing to back global efforts to combat climate change is a double nail in his coffin. A betrayal of conservationists. Aligns him with Donald Trump. Forget about the number of downstaters on the list, Rich. Look at the number of suburbanites. That’s where this issue is a killer. These are folks who can afford to take their kids skiing and visit national parks. Shocked to see Senator Daniel Biss is not on the list. - weltschmerz - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 12:44 pm: “he” being Barack Obama. Do you think the developing countries want our good efforts or maybe just the cash. ” …he committed the United States to lead the transfer of $100 billion in annual “climate finance” from the developed world to the developing countries that are pledging nothing.” Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/434412/paris-climate-agreement-americans-foot-bill-no-effect-climate - Wilson - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 1:01 pm: We can’t pass a budget for 3 years so let’s get involved in international pacts. Stay in your lane or get out of the vehicle and let someone else drive! Geez!! - Gary from Chicagoland - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 1:14 pm: The Paris Agreement is not a big deal to the environment - if all of nations fulfill their CO2 emission decrease then it would lower the global temp by 0.05 C by 2030, and by 2100 only by 0.17C. However it would really hurt the US because we have more oil, coal and natural gas combined than any other nation. In addition, the Paris Agreement would cost trillions of dollars and cost millions of jobs. Currently I am paying 8 cents per Kilowatt hour in electricity costs, while Europe is charging up to 40 cents per kilowatt hour. Companies are moving out and citizens of Europe are freezing and dying due to very expensive electricity costs. The goal of Paris Agreement is to redistribute US wealth and give billions to China and India ( which can have unlimited emissions until 2030) and stop the burning of a natural organic resource called fossil fuels. The UN just released a list of the cleanest countries in the world for air and water and US is among the cleanest in the world. Let the market decide future energy choices. https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/paris-accord-impact.jpg - A guy - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 2:10 pm: They love Paris in the summer…. Snore. - Angry Republican - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 2:32 pm: I thought Rauner was supporting the climate alliance by driving all economic development out of IL. The should lower the CO2 output of IL; problem solved. - say no to big government - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 3:59 pm: This is the biggest sham based on a false worldview. There is no good science backing this up. Of course the climate is changing. It changes all the time. I hope the Governor ignores this call. - OldIllini - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 5:06 pm: I don’t care if Illinois signs or not, as long as we pay our other bills first. Anything we do is swamped by the Chinese. But point out that Illinois is way ahead of most states because of our nukes. - Going nuclear - Thursday, Jun 8, 17 @ 5:59 pm: The Paris Climate Agreement was just the first step in getting countries to make commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. There was wide recognition that the climate pact would have to be strengthened in the future. Interestingly, many multinational corporations wanted the President to stick with the agreement, including Dow Chemical, Walmart, General Motors, Staples, Bank of America, General Mills and Chevron. These companies haves studied the research and understand that the disruptive impacts of climate change will harm their operations and supply chains, and come with heavy adaption costs. However, I would agree with others; let’s get a state budget in place first. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.