Lone Republican Brian Fitzpatrick joins with Democrats to rebuke Trump for leaving Paris climate deal
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania joined with more than 50 House Democrats Friday to introduce a bill affirming Congress’ support for the Paris climate agreement that President Trump rejected. “Climate change must be addressed proactively with leaders from both sides of the aisle working to protect our planet,” Fitzpatrick said. “Every nation will be affected by climate change which is why nearly every country agreed to work to reduce carbon emissions. I continue to urge the administration not to leave the Paris Climate Accord — but in the meantime, Congress should send a message to the world: the people of the United States remain committed to pursuing bipartisan solutions to address climate change and protect our environment.” Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, is a leader of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. He is also the co-sponsor of a carbon tax bill that would return the proceeds to American households as a dividend check. He won re-election in November for his purple district in the middle-class suburbs of northeastern Pennsylvania. Fitzpatrick’s bill, introduced with Reps. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., Don Beyer, D-Va., and 56 other Democrats, is only symbolic.
All countries of the world except the U.S. under the Trump administration have committed to the Paris Agreement, under which nations set their own nonbinding targets for reducing carbon emissions. Trump argued the U.S. committed too much compared with other countries, and withdrew. The U.S. plan, which the Obama administration submitted in 2015, set the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025. Reaching that level would help the world achieve the overarching goal of the Paris Agreement, limiting global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which many scientists say the world would see irreversible effects of climate change. The U.S. cannot formally exit from the Paris Agreement until the 2020 presidential election year under the United Nations' rules for withdrawal.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/lone-republican-brian-fitzpatrick-joins-with-democrats-to-rebuke-trump-for-leaving-paris-climate-deal