Mr. President, I rise to commend the historic agreement reached yesterday between the United States and China, the world's largest emitters of carbon pollution. This agreement is the latest and perhaps most consequential in a string of actions President Obama has taken to fight climate change. Today, we have hope. We have hope because this agreement puts the world on a path towards solving climate change--hope because the world's two largest emitters have found common cause in protecting public health and economic opportunity for their citizens and for the world and hope because we are once again reminded what American leadership and political will can accomplish. President Obama and President Xi of China recognize that climate change threatens our families, our jobs, our health, and our way of life. They deserve our thanks, as does Secretary Kerry, for their tireless work and dedication to this cause. We can solve this. We know what we need to do, and we know how to do it. Today we see what political will can accomplish. I am now more hopeful than ever that we can keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. This is the level scientists say is necessary to stay below in order to avoid catastrophic global consequences. Together our two countries account for about 40 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. We have a responsibility to act early and to act together, and this agreement puts us on that path.…
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