WASHINGTON (December 14, 2014) – Following the conclusion of the United Nations climate change negotiations in Lima, Peru, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the chair of the U.S. Senate Climate Change Clearinghouse and a member of the Environment and Public Works, and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement:

“Just as global warming pollution anywhere affects people everywhere, the leadership shown this week in Peru will help people around the world in the battle to stop dangerous climate change. Through their hard work in Lima, countries from around the world have now set the stage for a new international agreement that should bring together all the global actions to reduce carbon pollution and respond to the impacts of climate change.

“Governments, businesses and organizations around the world are demonstrating that taking action on climate change makes economic and environmental sense.

“There is still hard work to be done on the road to an agreement next December in Paris and to ultimately avoid catastrophic climate change. But with breakthroughs like the U.S.-China joint agreement on climate change and with leadership like that shown by host country Peru this year, we can do it.

“I call on my fellow lawmakers in the United States and around the world ‎to develop climate-smart policies for their countries that will contribute to international action in 2015.”