On the recordDecember 2, 2015
as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, my highest priority is America's security. Let me share with my colleagues how the climate change summit that is taking place in Paris affects global and U.S. security. Climate change is a global problem. Global problems require global solutions. As negotiators from over 180 nations gather in Paris, I think it is important that the Senate take note of this historic moment--when all countries, developed and developing, are finally coming together to tackle the global threat of climate change. The achievement of a new international agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris is our chance to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy a safer, healthier, and more prosperous world. Time is running out for us to act. As world leaders gather to find cooperative solutions to combating climate change, I am reminded of the message of Pope Francis's Climate Change Encyclical and the environmental crisis facing our planet. Let me quote from Pope Francis. The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. . . . I urgently appeal, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.…
