Pallone Praises Paris Agreement on Climate Change Becoming International Law
Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement today on the Paris Agreement becoming international law less than a year after nearly 200 countries formalized the agreement:
"Today, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change officially takes effect – more than three years ahead of schedule. Rising sea levels and changing climate conditions around the world demonstrate the need for aggressive, cooperative actions by the international community, and I'm pleased the U.S. is leading in this effort. We have built on this historic agreement with successful negotiations earlier this year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft and to phase-down the use of potent hydrofluorocarbons. The strong international support for the Paris Agreement demonstrates the commitment to fight global climate change, adapt to new conditions, and accelerate the shift to a clean energy economy. It puts us on the path to a safer and healthier planet."
The Paris Agreement seeks to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and accelerate the development of clean energy. Today's achievement comes on the heels of an international agreement last month in Kigali, Rwanda to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), a potent super-pollutant that packs up to 10,000 times the climate change punch of carbon pollution. International diplomatic efforts to address climate change will continue next week at the 22nd session of the Conference of Parties (COP 22) in Marrakech, Morocco to work on implementation details of the Paris Agreement.
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