‘We Are Still In’: Despite Official Withdrawal, How Some In The US Still Plan To Fight Climate Change

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Photo: AC Germany Climate Change Conference
Activists hold banners in the U.S. Climate Action Center for the "AMERICA'S PLEDGE" and "WE ARE STILL IN" campaign at the COP 23 Fiji UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017.

Almost 200 nations around the world have signed the Paris agreement to fight climate change -- the only exception is the United States. In June, President Trump removed the U.S. from the pact, saying it was a bad deal for the well-being of U.S. citizens.

Even so, during the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, there was a sizeable American presence. There were official representatives from the U.S. government as well as a number of people from states, cities, businesses and other groups that wanted to make clear they plan to adhere to the goals of the agreement.

One sign of that intent was an American pavilion in Bonn titled "We Are Still In." Another was the release of the "America's Pledge" report, which assesses the actions being taken by organizations outside government with regards to climate change.

Two Coloradans who attended the conference joined Colorado Matters to speak about their experiences in Bonn. Koben Calhoun is one of the report's authors and works with the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. Gillian Bowser is a sustainability research scientist at Colorado State University.