Tel Aviv city hall lights up to protest US pullout from Paris climate deal

Tel Aviv joins other cities in the world that illuminated their landmarks in green to express that they still stand by the Paris climate deal.

By JOY BERNARD
Updated: JUNE 8, 2017 11:05
Trump pulling US out of Paris climate deal (credit: REUTERS)
The facade of the Tel Aviv municipality building wore symbolic green lights on Sunday night in an expression of Israel's dismay over US President Donald Trump's crucial and highly controversial decision to pull out of the international Paris climate accord that was announced on Thursday.
Tel Aviv was not the only city to light up in green in support of the climate deal. Other municipality buildings and landmarks in major cities across the world were also illuminated in the same shade in a powerful and somewhat defiant display of resistance to Trump's decision and a reaffirmation of global commitment to the Paris deal and its defense of the planet.

New York's city hall and the spire of the World Trade Center were both lit up in green. Elsewhere in the US, city halls in Washington, DC, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco wore green. In Canada, the Montreal city hall was also part of the initiative. France, too, joined in the symbolic gesture with Paris's city hall wearing green as well. 

Other cities that participated in the initiative were Warsaw, Mexico City and Sydney.

The Paris Agreement, which was signed a year and a half ago, symbolized in the eyes of many worldwide a statement from world powers that they would remain committed to tackling the issue of global warming and climate change.
The agreement is a universal climate accord adopted by 195 countries in December 2015 at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.
Signatories to the agreement, which officially came into force on November 4, determined that the global temperature rise must be kept well below 2°C by means of varying national targets.
In deciding to withdraw from the agreement Trump evoked the ire of many who were shocked to see the US make a move that stands in such stark contradiction to the policies of the president's predecessor Barack Obama and his administration.
Israeli environmentalists were upset to learn of the US president's decision and deemed it "irresponsible and selfish."
Sharon Udasin contributed to this report.