Report: Minnesota on track to hit Paris climate goals

Minnesota and 13 other states appear on target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the amount set in the Paris climate accord.

Their progress comes despite President Trump abandoning the global environmental agreement in June.

Shortly after Trump pulled the U.S. from the Paris deal, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton joined onto the U.S. Climate Alliance, whose members include 14 states and Puerto Rico.

The Climate Alliance said in a report this week that its members are on track to hit or exceed their goal of reducing 2005 greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent come 2025.

These member states already cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent between 2005 and 2015, the Climate Alliance said.

"I am very pleased that Minnesota and other states are demonstrating to the world what we can achieve by working together to conserve energy, use cleaner and renewable energy, and leave a livable planet to our children and grandchildren," Dayton said in a statement.

As of Friday, the U.S. and Syria were the only countries left that hadn't signed onto the Paris agreement. Nicaragua, one of the last holdouts whose leaders said the deal wasn't aggressive enough, jumped on this week.