Mike Quigley: “By rejoining the Paris Agreement, President Biden has promised the world that America will retake its position as a…”

“By rejoining the Paris Agreement, President Biden has promised the world that America will retake its position as a global leader in the fight against climate change and be true to its word to meet our commitments to reduce greenhouse gases. It now falls to us--it falls to Congress--to prove the President right. Despite all the confused, disingenuous, and flatly false rhetoric around the Paris Agreement, in reality, it is simply a framework for catalyzing, measuring, and improving action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate impacts. The agreement, signed by 195 countries in Paris and not simply for the benefit of that city, is made up of commitments from each nation, determined by that nation, and which they are each responsible for meeting. President Biden's commitment, necessary as it was, will not itself reduce America's emissions enough to meet our 2015 promise to the world or to stem the climate crisis. For that, we must act urgently. We must reject the bad-faith talking points about a false dichotomy between environmental stewardship and economic growth and openly embrace the idea that a sustainable economy is dependent upon a sustainable environment. Far from climate action costing us jobs, the truth is that our entire economy is at stake if we do act on climate. By contrast, climate action means clean air and better public health. It means more miles between fill-ups and more money in Americans' pockets.…”