[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 21 (Thursday, February 4, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MEETING OUR PARIS AGREEMENT COMMITMENTS

  The SPEAKER. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, by rejoining the Paris Agreement, 
President Biden has promised the world that America will retake its 
position as a global leader in the fight against climate change and be 
true to its word to meet our commitments to reduce greenhouse gases. It 
now falls to us--it falls to Congress--to prove the President right.
  Despite all the confused, disingenuous, and flatly false rhetoric 
around the Paris Agreement, in reality, it is simply a framework for 
catalyzing, measuring, and improving action to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions and adapting to climate impacts.
  The agreement, signed by 195 countries in Paris and not simply for 
the benefit of that city, is made up of commitments from each nation, 
determined by that nation, and which they are each responsible for 
meeting.
  President Biden's commitment, necessary as it was, will not itself 
reduce America's emissions enough to meet our 2015 promise to the world 
or to stem the climate crisis. For that, we must act urgently. We must 
reject the bad-faith talking points about a false dichotomy between 
environmental stewardship and economic growth and openly embrace the 
idea that a sustainable economy is dependent upon a sustainable 
environment.
  Far from climate action costing us jobs, the truth is that our entire 
economy is at stake if we do act on climate. By contrast, climate 
action means clean air and better public health. It means more miles 
between fill-ups and more money in Americans' pockets. It means 
reliable, robust harvests and innovative and productive ways to make 
money farming sustainably.
  It means passing America's beautiful natural heritage on to future 
generations and protecting the places and creatures that make our 
country the envy of the world. It means safe, livable coastlines that 
don't wash away our roads and our homes. And it means high-paying jobs 
that can't be outsourced--up to 24 million globally, according to the 
United Nations.
  We have a lot of work to do: building out electric vehicle 
infrastructure and a modern electric grid; cleaning up our rivers and 
lakes; deploying clean, renewable power generation; and inventing the 
next leap in battery storage technology.
  No one is better suited than American workers. Low-carbon, long-term, 
and resilient economic growth and ecological stability are within our 
grasp, but only if we have the courage to go after them.
  This Congress must send legislation to the President's desk meeting 
this challenge and seizing this opportunity. Executive action cannot do 
it alone.
  I am proud to serve as vice chair of the House Sustainable Energy and 
Environment Coalition. This group has worked for years to advance 
commonsense legislation to create green jobs and seize low-carbon 
opportunities, exactly the type of legislation we will need to meet our 
Paris Agreement commitments.
  Mr. Speaker, preliminary data indicates that 2020 will tie 2016 and 
go down in history as the hottest year on record. This means that the 7 
hottest years have now occurred in the 7 last years.
  The call for action from those whose homes have been destroyed by 
natural disasters and from those suffering through record heat waves 
and droughts is loud and clear. And we hear that same call from our 
constituents who see through the pandering misdirection of outdated 
thinking, understand the imperative to act, and increasingly vote only 
for those willing to take action.
  President Biden corrected an egregious mistake when he moved to 
reenter the U.S. into the Paris Agreement. We must move with him and 
usher in the low-carbon economy of the future now.

                          ____________________