COP21: Climate Change

As a member of Congress for over 22 years, I have made it my mission to advocate for the facts and to promote policies that are both aspirational yet grounded in reality. I have endeavored to always seek the truth by discerning what is real from what is fake. And when it comes to the issue of climate change, I have listened to the scientists.

Almost every credible scientific voice tells us human activity has and continues to have a dramatic impact on climate change. Moreover, scientists have warned that inaction by the major industrialized nations of the world could lead to global catastrophe. That is why I applauded American leadership in helping to draft the Paris Agreement, an aspirational document encouraging all nations to submit national climate goals every five years.



The global pact, agreed to by 195 nations including the U.S., took effect last year. And the United States is the 2nd largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. By the accounts of most scientific experts, it is an ambitious and noble effort to curb climate change.

Trump has often questioned the need for such an agreement, and yet he has no scientific basis to pull away from the consensus of thought of most Americans. According to Gallop, 54 percent of Americans find climate change to be a serious problem. There is no political, scientific, or social justice mandate to pull away from this global pact. The voices of reason must prevail. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was right when he stated, “If he [President Trump] does withdraw, that would be a definitive statement from the president that he believes climate change is a hoax."