Washington, D.C. — After the close of the United Nations COP26 climate summit, Center for American Progress founder and chair of the board of directors John Podesta released the following statement:
After four years of Trump-era climate change denial, the United States showed up in Glasgow. President Joe Biden and U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry came prepared to work at this historic climate summit, where we have seen much-needed momentum to limit potent methane emissions, halt deforestation, and increase the role of private finance in addressing the climate crisis. The final text supports nature-based solutions and recognizes the critical importance of indigenous rights and women in climate leadership.
But if we plan to meet the increasingly challenging goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C and avert the most devastating impacts of climate change, we need to go further, faster. The level of our ambition has to continue to move up. We must turn targets into concrete actions during this decade and double down on climate financing to help developing countries transition and adapt. The language on coal in the final text does not meet the accelerated pace of transition to clean energy that the world needs to address the climate crisis. We must work to phase coal out. Finally, the United States must follow through on our commitment and pass the Build Back Better Act so we can tackle the climate crisis and build a just and equitable clean energy economy with good-paying union jobs for the American people.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].