This week’s must read: There is a Conservative Approach to Climate Change (Huffington Post)
This week’s must watch: Partnership for Growth rolls out #PriceCarbon ads – here’s our favorite
This week in climate change, Florida’s Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a member of the House Climate Solutions Caucus and champion of the ecoright, announced her retirement at the end of the Congressional session.
In other news, House Climate Solutions Caucus members Rep. John Faso (R-NY-19) introduced a bill to establish a commission for recommending science-based, economically viable climate solution policies. Under the bill, the commission would make recommendations to the President within 18 months. “Creating a bipartisan commission will help bring the public and private sectors together to provide smart solutions to the problems we face in the world today from the negative impacts of climate change,” Faso said.
Maine’s Republican Sen. Susan Collins jointly wrote a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressing support for maintaining U.S. participation in the Paris climate agreement. “Climate change is a significant environmental challenge that requires global solutions to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and to address the effects already seen worldwide. For international climate efforts to advance, it is essential that the United States keep a seat at the table,” the letter says. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, signed with her. The letter also cites the economic costs of climate impacts and national security implications of climate change. With nearly every country in the world a signer and 65 percent an official party to the agreement, Collins argues that “even if the U.S. opts out, the rest of the world will proceed with mitigation strategies without us and decisions they make will affect us, regardless of our absence.”
All eyes remain fixed for a decision from the White House on whether the U.S. will stay in the Paris climate agreement.
The Stefanik climate resolution gained a new co-sponsor: Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY-11) is the latest to add support to the measure.
The climate jester of the week goes to President Donald Trump for saying the Paris climate deal will cost the U.S. trillions in GDP. (Note: he doesn’t really sound like a guy who is undecided). Read (and watch) more here.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, a day most of us don’t know the history behind but use as an excuse to drink margaritas.