Bill Ford Praises U.S. Rejoining Paris Climate Agreement
Photo: Ford
On the evening of his inauguration, President of the United States Joe Biden unleashed a wave of executive orders primarily focused on rolling back policies enacted by the previous administration. One such order sees the U.S. rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, a decision lauded by Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford.
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Ford on Wednesday released a statement calling the decision “critical to reestablishing the United States’ role as a world leader.” He notes that though the previous administration’s intention to withdraw from the legally binding treaty had been made clear in 2017, the company never once considered changing its commitment to the agreement and its standards.
“Climate change is everyone’s problem. It is already affecting every person on the planet, whether they realize it or not. Therefore, we all need to help change the course of history, and manufacturers like Ford have a particular responsibility,” Ford writes.
Ford was the only automaker to announce that it would continue to abide by the Paris Climate Agreement. The automaker also opted to continue with the California Air Resources Board’s emissions standards following the previous administration’s rollback of Obama-era regulations.
U.S. withdrawal took effect day after Trump’s lost election
The Paris Climate Agreement went into force in the United States on Nov. 4, 2016 — four days prior to the presidential election. The former president announced on June 1, 2017, that the United States would no longer participate in the agreement. Scientists and environmental experts widely derided the decision. The late Stephen Hawking said the move “will cause avoidable environmental damage to our beautiful planet, endangering the natural world, for us and our children.”
While the decision was announced in 2017, withdrawal could not officially take place until Nov. 4, 2020 — the day after the 2020 presidential election, which Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden by more than 7 million votes. As such, the United States rejoins the Paris Climate Accord just months removed from exiting.
Ford envisions a future of carbon neutrality
Photo: Ford
Ford continues to position itself as one of the auto industry’s leading brands when it comes to climate change action. In June of last year, Ford announced plans to become fully carbon neutral by 2050. Ford has also pledged to eliminate single-use plastics from its processes by 2035.
“Our work is nowhere near done, but President Biden’s action [on Jan. 20] is an important step,” Bill Ford writes. “We are pleased and proud to support the United States re-entry to the Paris Climate Agreement, and we hope that everyone shares our optimism that this is a fresh start for a common cause.”
For its efforts, Ford has won recognition from leading environmental groups. Last year, CDP named Ford to its A Lists for water security and climate change. Last month, Ford won the 2020 WEC Gold Medal Award for International Achievement in Sustainable Development.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.