Washington (December 19, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety released the following statement on the Biden administration announcement on the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris climate agreement, which establishes an emissions-reduction target through 2035.

“I applaud the Biden administration for announcing a Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris climate agreement that shows the United States can and should cut its climate-polluting emissions,” said Senator Markey. “The science does not lie—we need to do more to aggressively tackle the climate crisis. This updated target is a large step forward, since ambitious and clear climate goals are critical for the economy, public health, our security, and for the communities experiencing the brunt of the climate crisis.

“But most importantly, a strong national climate commitment outlasts the term of any one president. This is a signpost that we will hopefully use in the not-to-distant-future to find our way back to the global negotiating table. Today, the United States shows the world what we will work to achieve over the next ten years, whether driven by leaders in Congress to subnational and local governments and actors. Climate change cannot wait for the right person to be in office—it will take every single one of us, across the globe, to fight the greatest challenge of our time.”

In April 2021, the Biden administration released its first Nationally Determined Contribution, an economy-wide target of reducing its net greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent below 2005 levels in 2030. Parties to the Paris climate agreement are required to release Nationally Determined Contributions and submit them to the United Nations Secretariat every five years, with the next tranche of targets due for submission by 2025.

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