Published earlier this week to coincide with outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry's arrival at the Marrakech climate summit, the letter says in part, "We, the undersigned members in the business and investor community of the United States, re-affirm our deep commitment to addressing climate change through the implementation of the historic Paris Climate Agreement."
"We want the US economy to be energy efficient and powered by low-carbon energy," the letter continues. "Cost-effective and innovative solutions can help us achieve these objectives."
They add: "Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk. But the right action now will create jobs and boost US competitiveness."
Throughout the primaries last winter and spring, and the general election in which he squared-off against Democrat and renewable energy advocate Hillary Clinton, Trump repeated aligned himself with the fossil fuel industry and threatened to withdraw the United States from its commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The Obama administration pledged during the Paris negotiations to reduce US emissions by 26-28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025.
Speaking in Marrakech on Wednesday, Kerry urged the signatories to the climate deal to press ahead with their commitments, saying to do otherwise would be a "betrayal of devastating consequences."
"No one has the right to make decisions that affect billions of people based solely on ideology or without proper input," Kerry continued. "At some point even the strongest skeptic has to acknowledge that something disturbing is happening."
The secretary of state went on to say that the US is "right now, today, on our way to meeting all of the international targets we have set."
"Because of the market decisions that are being made, I do not believe that that can or will be reversed," Kerry said.
For additional information:
