Senator Schatz: "This Climate Agreement Gives Us A Real Reason To Be Hopeful"

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping announced significant steps to address climate change, including a pledge by China to curb carbon emissions using a cap-and-trade program:

“The momentum is palpable. People, governments, companies, and institutions are beginning to take the kinds of actions that give us a legitimate chance to solve this problem.  I've never been so hopeful on this issue.  We've got a long way to go, but this was enormously important.

“This agreement marks a historic step towards protecting our planet from the impacts of climate change.  What our two countries are saying with this agreement is that climate change is real, caused by humans, and is solvable.

“For years, naysayers and deniers said that the U.S. shouldn't move forward to regulate carbon pollution until and unless China took action.  As of today, that argument is no longer valid.

“This agreement gives momentum to the ongoing international climate negotiations and will inspire other countries to commit to action prior to the Paris talks.

“While this agreement is an incredibly important foundation and gives people around the world hope, we must not let up.  We have to work towards full implementation of the Clean Power Plan, a successful Paris conference, and the eventual passage of carbon fee legislation.”

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