Quigley Statement on Paris Agreement’s Entry into Force
CHICAGO — Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) released the following statement on the ascension of the Paris Agreement into international law:
“The Paris Agreement represents the collective will of the world to reduce climate-harming greenhouse gases and work to fight against climate change,” said Rep. Quigley. “Today is an historic day as the European Union and other have joined the U.S. to help reach the threshold of countries needed to formally enter the Agreement into force. The speed with which the Agreement was ratified was unprecedented and a strong signal of global ambition and urgency to tackle this pressing issue. I applaud each country that has joined the Paris Agreement.”
“Now that the Paris Agreement is international law, the real work must begin. America must act with the strong will and ambition that this problem requires to do our part and meet our international emissions reductions goals. Doing so will not only help save Chicago, America, and the world from the harmful impacts of climate change, it will help create new economic opportunities as we transition to a low carbon, sustainable world.”
As a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Rep. Quigley has been a stalwart protector of the environment since he arrived in Washington in 2009. Most recently, he spoke to colleagues addressing the urgent realities of climate change. After the crisis in Flint, Michigan, he partnered with Illinois officials to push for better EPA lead and copper standards. He also visited Chicago’s Loyola University to discuss how to implement more bird-safe measures for campus buildings, toured urban flooding prevention project sites, and urged the importance of clean drinking water in an editorial in the Chicago Daily Herald. Last year, he went on a tour through the Pullman and Calumet region to highlight the positive impact environmental restoration can have on community development. He has urged his colleagues in the House to put partisanship aside and craft America’s first national energy plan to address climate change. During his Chicago Climate Tour of 2013, he visited regional environmental sites to hear from experts on the local impact of climate change and efforts to address the issue.