WASHINGTON – The Democrats on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led by Ranking Member Ben Cardin of Maryland, introduced a resolution Thursday stating that the United States should work in cooperation with the international community and continue to exercise global leadership to address the causes and effects of climate change.
The resolution comes as reports indicate President Trump is nearing a decision on whether the United States will remain in, or retreat from, the Paris Climate Agreement, the largest multilateral cooperative agreement ever reached to address the challenge of global climate change, signed by nearly every country in the world.
“If the U.S. retreats from the global effort to combat climate change and adopts backward-looking energy policies we can expect to lose out on economic growth opportunities because countries like Germany, China, and India will gladly take our place as the world’s leader for clean energy innovation and finance,” Senator Cardin said.
Joining Senator Cardin on the resolution are his colleagues U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.); Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.); Chris Coons (D-Del.); Tom Udall (D-N.M.); Chris Murphy (D-Conn.); Tim Kaine (D-Va.); Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.); Ed Markey (D-Mass.); and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
“My colleagues and I are sending a strong message to the President about the importance of continued U.S. international climate diplomacy. If the President and his aides choose the path of an informed, fact-based decision about the national security interests of the United States and the safety of the American people, then the only decision that can be reached is not just to remain in the Paris Agreement, but to lead the world in achieving the Agreement’s benchmarks,” Senator Cardin continued. “We know the climate is changing. We know it is having an impact on health, agriculture, and military readiness here at home and worldwide. It’s time to get serious and not retreat from this existential threat to the United States and humankind.”
The text of the resolution is available at this link.
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