[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 202 (Friday, November 19, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8758-S8759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I would like to reflect on my trip to 
Glasgow, Scotland, for COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change 
Conference. I was fortunate to have 18 Senate colleagues join me to 
bolster President Biden's agenda and the United States' leadership role 
on the world stage.
  Six years ago, I had the privilege of leading a congressional 
delegation to COP21, which produced the Paris Agreement in 2015. 
Countries from all across the globe collectively agreed that the 
threats and effects of climate change were too damaging to ignore. 
Unfortunately, the previous administration's fraught decision to 
withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement jeopardized our 
credibility.
  The global effort suffered another setback last year, when the UN 
Climate Change Conference was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic 
and it was not safe to gather. These major setbacks were costly, but 
this time, we went to Glasgow resolved to make up for lost time. One of 
President Biden's first actions when he took the oath of office was to 
rejoin the Paris Agreement. Since then, President Biden has brought the 
United States back to the negotiating table and made unprecedented 
commitments and investments to tackle the climate crisis.
  The overarching goal of this year's UN climate conference was to 
rally countries toward action that would reduce emissions enough to 
keep the goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius 
within reach.
  Without a doubt, Glasgow raised ambition. Ninety percent of the 
world's GDP now has net zero commitments, and 154 countries put forward 
new climate action plans to cut emissions. The Glasgow Climate Pact 
established a clear consensus that all nations need to do much more, 
immediately, to prevent a catastrophic rise in global temperatures.
  In April, President Biden announced our Nationally Determined 
Commitment--NDC--will target reducing emissions by 50-52 percent by 
2030, compared to 2005 level, consistent with achieving net zero 
greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050. The combined impact of 
the Senate's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President 
Biden signed into law on Monday and the Build Back Better Act framework 
announced last month will put U.S. emissions on a path to meeting the 
new target. The target is consistent with President Biden's goal of 
achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050 and 
of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Time is not slowing 
down. According to NOAA, last month was the fourth warmest October in 
142 years of recorded measurements.
  Scientists have sounded the alarm that, if we fail to act a 
catastrophic rise in global temperatures will result, and some of the 
changes in the climate will be irreversible. Recognizing the urgency, 
the Glasgow Decision asks world leaders to submit stronger NDCs to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the end of next year, instead of in 
2025. It would be the first time nations offer new emissions pledges 2 
years in a row, in 2021 and 2022. Although there were qualifiers, the 
express mention of fossil fuels in the text of the Glasgow Decision is 
notable since prior negotiations have referred to warming and emissions 
rather than the source of that pollution, most of which comes from 
coal, oil, and gas.
  COP26 marks a significant step forward in our global resolve, and the 
commitment to reduce private sector global carbon emissions by 
significant amounts is especially noteworthy. But there is more work to 
do. As Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry remarked in 
his closing press conference, a gap remains. Even if we implement all 
our renewed commitments, we are now on track for somewhere between 1.8 
and 2.4 degrees of warming. I do not take this as a sign of failure; 
however, the COP26 outcome was never the goal, nor is it the end. If 
anything, COP26 marks the end of the beginning in which we now know 
that the Paris Agreement is durable and, in fact, provides a reliable 
framework and set of processes for the world to center its cooperative 
efforts.
  The story of Glasgow isn't just about the National Determined 
Commitments--NDCs. There was also greater attention paid to adaptation. 
The Adaptation Fund received $356 million in new support from 
contributing national and regional governments, including our first 
ever U.S. contribution of $50 million. Pledges nearly tripled the 
fund's 2021 resource mobilization goal of $120 million for climate 
change adaptation and resilience projects and programs in developing 
countries.
  Ahead of the dialogue, President Biden announced the launch of the 
President's Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience--PREPARE--a 
whole-of-government initiative that will serve as the cornerstone of 
the Federal Government response to the increasing impacts of the global 
climate crisis on vulnerable communities worldwide. Resources are a 
pillar of the plan, which calls for $3 billion in adaptation finance 
annually by fiscal year

[[Page S8759]]

2024, the largest U.S. commitment ever made to build capacity in 
developing countries to adapt to and manage the impacts of climate 
change by 2030.
  Congress must meet the moment and deliver robust appropriations for 
adaptation finance. As one of the wealthiest and most developed 
countries, we have a moral obligation to act. We cannot back away from 
our promises, as acting on climate is a matter of life or death.
  COP26 succeeded in renewing developed countries' climate finance 
commitments and helped catalyze increased private sector climate 
finance commitments at levels never seen before. Climate finance refers 
to the local, national, or transnational financing that supports 
mitigation and adaptation actions to address climate change. In 2009, 
parties with more resources collectively committed to unlock $100 
billion per year from public and private sources between 2020 and 2025 
to support those that are less resourced and more vulnerable cut their 
emissions and adapt to climate impacts. A report by Germany and Canada 
commissioned by the U.K., the host of this year's COP, found that 
developed countries are not set to meet the climate finance target 
until 2023--3 years late.
  In April, President Biden said the U.S. would double its contribution 
to $5.7 billion, and in his first speech to the United Nations as 
President, he pledged in September to ``double that number again,'' 
bringing the Nation's commitment to $11.4 billion per year by 2024. 
Consistent, strong support for the U.S. contribution to the Green 
Climate Fund--GCF--is indispensable in financing global endeavors to 
achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. U.S. contributions to the GCF 
and other multilateral and bilateral partnerships have the potential to 
mobilize additional public and private sector funds, highly leveraging 
the impact of our investments.
  As Congress works to pass transformative legislation for a clean 
domestic economy, COP26 provided a chance for the United States and our 
global partners to reevaluate and negotiate new objectives, strategies, 
and commitments to tackle climate change through various lenses.
  Each day of the climate conference explored a new theme. Our 
delegation had the opportunity to attend the entirety of ``Nature 
Day.'' Agriculture, forestry, and other land use account for nearly 
one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. They also support 
global food security and millions of jobs. At the same time, ecosystems 
protect us; healthy forests absorb emissions, and wetlands defend our 
coastlines against storm surges. On November 6, 26 nations committed to 
sustainable farming policies, such as reducing low carbon practices 
that would in turn scale back emissions and prevent unnecessary 
pollution.
  At home, the Build Back Better Act will provide major financial 
support to farmers and ranchers who adopt ``climate smart agriculture 
and forestry'' practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 
sequester additional carbon stocks in soils and vegetation. The 
delegation met with a range of foreign officials and civil society 
leaders, received a briefing from Secretary John Kerry, conducted a 
side event at the U.S. Center on Congress' climate agenda--in which 
nine Senators participated--and held a press conference at the COP site 
to share our views with the public.
  That same day, U.S. Agency for International Development--USAID--
Administrator Samantha Power and the Rockefeller Foundation signed a 
memorandum of understanding forming the basis of a strategic 
partnership between USAID, Power Africa, and the newly launched Global 
Energy Alliance for People and Planet.
  Senator Coons and I were honored to give remarks during the official 
signing ceremony in the Sustainable Development Goal 7--SDG7--Pavilion 
as original sponsors of the Electrify Africa Act of 2015. The 
partnerships will advance the goals of ending energy poverty in Africa, 
combating climate change, and strengthening the enabling environment 
for clean energy.
  Alongside the events marking Nature Day, our trip marked the end of 
Week One of COP26, with negotiations gathering pace and work focusing 
on Week Two. After our delegation departed, the parties completed the 
Rulebook, after 6 years of discussions. These guidelines to implement 
the Paris Agreement rules include transparency rules to report on 
emissions and measure our collective progress toward achievement of 
NDCs.
  After more than 5 years and with the processes mostly in place, the 
global community is clearly committed to tackling the climate crisis. 
We must now enter the next phase with a laserlike focus on 
implementation of the agreement wherein we meet our commitments through 
urgent and ambitious action.
  I wish to applaud my colleagues for joining the delegation to Glasgow 
and beyond and thank Senate Democratic leadership for recognizing and 
supporting our work abroad. COP26 put us on a clear path with discrete 
steps to achieve our 2030 goals and set a much closer course to 
achieving a clean economy with net zero emissions by mid-century. I 
urge the U.S. Senate to turn the ambition achieved at COP26 into action 
in this decisive decade.

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