Boston
(November 4, 2020) — Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-author of the Green
New Deal resolution and member of the Environment and Public Works Committee,
released the following statement today, the day that the United States’
withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement takes effect. The Trump
administration announced its intention last year to officially withdraw the
United States from the agreement that all 197 countries on Earth had
adopted—and which 189 countries had formally approved—making it the only
country to leave the international accord.
“Every
country on the planet will have to work together in order to save it from the
climate crisis,” said Senator Markey. “Right now, the
Paris climate agreement is our best hope for coordinating that effort. But
leaving the Paris agreement means handing over the mantle of international
climate leadership to China, Germany, and other countries to pick up and lead
the clean energy race. Leaving the Paris agreement means leaving the benefits
of countless clean energy jobs that come with a revolution in wind, solar,
all-electric vehicles, and energy efficiency. Leaving the Paris agreement means
leaving climate solutions to whichever American cities and states are prepared
and committed enough to implement them without federal leadership. Leaving the
Paris agreement means the road we must to travel to stop climate catastrophe
will see higher temperatures, more superstorms and wildfires, more climate
displacement—and we simply do not have the time to be delayed or distracted.
Despite the Trump administration’s action, I’m still in. And along with
millions of others in this country, together we will not stop fighting for
climate action and a Green New Deal.”
