Washington, DC – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, returned today from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 23rd Conference of Parties (COP23) in Bonn, Germany. Whitehouse joined a group of American Senators to Bonn to deliver the message that U.S. support for the Paris Agreement is strong despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Agreement. Whitehouse released the following statement on the conference:
“In Bonn, we saw that the world is not turning a blind eye to climate change. It is confronting it head-on. That is a very hopeful sign.
“I was also glad to deliver a message: While our President and his administration have bound themselves to the interests of fossil fuel polluters, the American people have not. Rhode Islanders and Americans everywhere care deeply about American leadership in combatting climate change. We are working hard to meet the United States’ obligations under the accord, and to prepare our communities, coastlines, fisheries, forests, and farmland for what’s to come. And we will stand firm against an executive branch captured by the fossil fuel industry.”
Every week, Whitehouse speaks out on the Senate floor, urging Congress to wake up to the threat of climate change. He co-founded the Senate Climate Action Task Force to help build support for action to address carbon pollution. Whitehouse has also introduced legislation to put a fee on carbon, establishing a market incentive to reduce emissions while generating substantial revenue to be returned to the American people.
###
