Washington (January 20, 2020) — Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-author of the
Green New Deal resolution and member of the Environment and Public Works
Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following
statement today, as President Joseph Biden re-enters the United States into the
Paris climate agreement.
“On day one, President Biden is making
climate action priority number one. This is an important moment for the
climate movement, our country, and the planet. By re-entering the United States
into the Paris climate agreement, President Biden has reaffirmed our nation’s
commitment to leading the fight against the existential crisis of our time and
to seizing the opportunity of a clean energy economy and safer future for
all. The Paris agreement recognizes that global warming requires a
global solution, including a collective commitment to greenhouse gas emissions
reductions and clean energy solutions.
“The Paris agreement is a day one priority
because it is a first, critical step in the right direction—we have much more
to gain and still more to do in fighting the climate crisis. But our
climate efforts have only just begun in the new Biden administration. We
must commit to ambitious, necessary
action to ensure the U.S. leads the way in creating a net-zero global economy
by 2050 and create the long-overdue justice for
frontline communities that have borne the worst burdens of our addiction to
fossil fuels. We can deliver jobs and justice for Americans and make the Green
New Deal a reality.”
The Trump administration officially
withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement on November 4,
2020, making the United States the only country to leave the international
accord. One hundred and ninety seven countries have adopted the Paris
agreement, and 189 countries have formally approved it.
