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Indiana activists urge Trump to stick with Paris Accord; UIndy finance professor says deal will hurt economy

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A group of Hoosiers who flew to Paris for the 2015 climate summit are urging President Trump keep the U.S. in the Paris Climate Accord. A local economic expert, however, said sticking to the deal could hurt Indiana’s economy.

Denise Abdul-Rahman, the NAACP Indiana Environmental and Climate Justice Chair, is one several Indiana delegates who marched the streets of Paris demanding action in 2015 while world leaders met to discuss global warming.

“We were proud of the leadership at that time,” Abdul-Rahman said. “The right to protect our planet, that’s our responsibility as human beings.”

During the summit, the U.S. and more than 190 countries agreed to reduce their greenhouse emissions to slow global warming.

President Donald Trump plans to announce this week whether he’ll fulfill a campaign promise by withdrawing the U.S. from the deal.

“He should stay within this agreement,” Abdul-Rahman said. “He needs to do it for his grandchildren, for his young child. He needs to do it for my child and for all of our children.”

Dr. Matthew Will, a finance professor for the University of Indianapolis, said the Paris Accord could help the environment but hurt the economy.

Will said, if the U.S. commits to the deal, Americans will lose jobs due to increased regulations.

“Since these are carbon-based emission standards and Indiana is a significant manufacturing state, we will see a disproportionate burden of those impacts,” Will said.

Trump promised during his campaign to pull the U.S. from the Paris Accord.

“I can tell you there’s a major economic impact and financial burden that comes with this agreement,” Will said.

Abdul-Rahman points out that there are opportunities for economic growth in solar power and green energy. She said, if Trump withdraws from the deal, she’ll only increase her efforts to reduce global warming.

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