WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and a senior Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, U.S. Representative John Delaney (MD-06), and 145 of their Democratic colleagues from the Senate and House sent a letter to President Obama today in strong support of the United States signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement.
Secretary of State John Kerry will represent the United States at the UN in New York today, where he will officially sign the Agreement along with more than one hundred other nations. Under President Obama’s leadership and with the strong support of Congressional Democrats, the United States rallied world leaders in support of the Paris Agreement last December.
The letter states in part, “For years, the world has looked to the United States for international leadership and addressing climate change is no different. Through your leadership, the United States is fulfilling a responsibility to lead international action addressing climate change resulting in unprecedented cooperation on the development of the historic Paris Agreement. Your decision to make the United States one of the first parties to sign the agreement is a further demonstration of U.S. leadership and is an important step towards ensuring the Paris Agreement is implemented quickly and that the global community begins in earnest towards achieving the significant goals of the agreement.”
“I thank President Obama for his strong leadership which has led us to today’s historic signing. Now it is time to implement the Agreement and act on behalf of future generations so that they are not devastated by the impacts of global climate change,” Senator Cardin said. “As a lawmaker from a state deeply susceptible to rising sea levels, I am committed to doing all I can to ensure the United States fulfills its obligations and serves as an example to every nation on earth of what is possible when we put our science, leadership, and ingenuity to work on behalf of humanity.”
“Climate Change poses a huge risk to our environment, our economy, and our national security. At the same time, the United States has an opportunity to greatly benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy,” said Congressman Delaney. “This climate agreement between 195 countries is a historic occasion. We all have to act together to solve the problem. I thank President Obama for his leadership, and will continue to work with Senator Cardin in Congress to accelerate our transition to clean energy.”
In total, 33 Senators and 114 Representatives signed onto the letter. For the full text of the letter with signatures, click here.
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