Washington
(November 12, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works, released the following statement as the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) concludes
today after 12 days of international climate negotiations.
“COP26
is ending, but our climate work continues in greater urgency. The United
States and other countries who have contributed the most to the climate crisis
must be leading efforts to do the most to reverse its fast-acting course.
“I
am proud that the United States has reestablished its global leadership in
combatting the climate crisis, and that the draft COP26 agreement for the
first time takes historic steps to phase out fossil fuels. I am
pleased that President Biden has made historic pledges to double the United
States investment in climate financing and solidified international commitments
to cut methane emissions by 2030. I welcome the joint commitment from the
United States and China to cooperate on efforts to combat climate
change, and I look forward to our work together to enact ambitious
initiatives to limit and reduce emissions. Climate commitments are a powerful
tool of diplomacy. Yet, it is not enough simply to take these important
steps; business as usual and the status quo are death sentences. We must push
climate action by leaps and bounds. That comes from making climate central to
all policymaking domestically, promoting justice for those bearing the
brunt of this crisis and ensuring polluters pay, and leading by example with
ambition, intersectionality, and conviction.”
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