Sen. Ed Markey says that state and city governments are working on initiatives to address climate change, even when the federal government is lagging behind.
“What people forget is that there are already pre-existing laws on the books,” Markey said in an interview Wednesday with Boston Public Radio. “Fuel economy standards, appliance standards, the wind and solar tax breaks, and 30 states have renewable electricity standards — they’re all on the books, and we’re going to fight very hard to make sure that none of them get repealed.”
Markey recently returned from the annual United Nations climate summit in Germany, where crowds protested the Trump Administration and the U.S. government for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Markey went as part of a ‘shadow delegation’ for the U.S. — the only country that won't be part of the agreement now that Syria and Nicaragua decided to join it.
“That just leaves the United States all alone, no longer the leader, which is where we were in Paris two years ago,” Markey said. “Now we’re the laggard. Now we’re the one country that is retreating from the goal.”
To hear Sen. Markey’s full interview with Boston Public Radio, click on the audio player above.
