Statement of Elliot Diringer
Executive Vice President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
November 18, 2016
On the conclusion of COP 22, the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Marrakech, Morocco.
The clearest signal from Marrakech is the staying power of the Paris Agreement. Despite the threat of a U.S. withdrawal, governments and businesses alike made clear they remain strongly committed to a clean energy future.
Far from being deterred, governments showed their resolve by setting a clear deadline to complete the Paris rulebook in 2018. It’s important the United States remain at the table to ensure solid rules holding countries accountable for their promises.
We’ve seen over the past year how the signals from Paris are driving decisions in corporate boardrooms and at all levels of society. It’s imperative that governments flesh out the agreement and move forward with policies at home to fulfill their commitments. But success rests just as much on the actions of companies, states, and cities, and their presence in Marrakech shows the momentum is strong.
The Paris Agreement establishes a pragmatic framework that preserves the full sovereignty of nations to decide their own paths forward, while providing them the means to hold one another accountable. It is precisely the sort of agreement U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have long advocated. Having finally achieved it, the United States would serve no one’s interests, least its own, by walking away.
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About C2ES: The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to forge practical solutions to climate change. Our mission is to advance strong policy and action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote clean energy, and strengthen resilience to climate impacts. Learn more at www.c2es.org.