Ed Markey: “last year the world came together in Paris to support a truly historic agreement on climate change. And 2015 was also…”

“last year the world came together in Paris to support a truly historic agreement on climate change. And 2015 was also historic for another reason: It was the hottest year in an observational record that stretches back to the 1880s. In fact, 15 of the 16 hottest years on the planet have occurred since 2000. Recently, July and August 2016 tied the global record for the hottest month, and 2016 is on track to be the warmest year yet. The evidence on climate change is overwhelming. Scientists have understood the fundamental physics for over a century. And the world agrees that we must take action to curb dangerous carbon pollution and reduce the effects of climate change. A majority of the United States agrees that we must take action. The swiftness with which the Paris Climate Accord came into force demonstrates the global commitment to addressing the serious concerns of climate change. It is also a testament to the leadership of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. This year, the world again came together at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, to begin forging the path towards a lower-emissions world and clean energy future. And while there is much work to be done, we are heading in the right direction. We have seen the price of solar energy reach record lows and the rate of new solar installation reach record highs.…”