To lead on climate, leave the ivy tower | Ralien Bekkers, Hillary Aidun, Emily Wier, Geoffrey Supran

On behalf of students and alumni from all Ivy-Plus universities, we call on our institutions to join the "We Are Still In" coalition

America's top universities expend considerable efforts to lead in the rankings, but last week they fell short-missing a critical opportunity to show moral leadership on climate change. If top schools want to lead on climate action, they should join the "We Are Still In" coalition, a collection of states, cities, businesses, and universities promising to support the Paris Climate Agreement.

President Trump's decision to pull out of the international climate accord was swiftly rejected by local and state officials, as well as members of the business and academic community. Over 1,000 leaders have signed on to the "We Are Still In" pledge-including mayors and governors representing about 120 million people. More than 200 colleges and universities have joined. Leadership from these institutions sends a powerful message to President Trump and the globe: even if the federal government reneges on its international commitments, Americans are stepping up to fill the gap.