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Rep. Waters’ Statement on Reports Suggesting President Trump will Withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement

June 1, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 1, 2017

Contact: Twaun Samuel or Rykia Dorsey

Phone: (202) 225-2201

Rep. Waters' Statement on Reports Suggesting President Trump will Withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement

Washington, D.C. -- Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, released the following statement today in response to reports that Donald Trump plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement on climate change:

"I am deeply troubled by reports suggesting that Donald Trump intends to pull the United States out of the Paris agreement on climate change. The United States played a leading role in the negotiation of this landmark agreement to confront one of the most urgent challenges to our planet, and it is shameful that this President would jeopardize the future of our children who will most certainly bear the brunt of climate change should we fail to act today.

"The Paris agreement is the world's first comprehensive climate agreement, and it was painstakingly negotiated over several years by representatives of 195 sovereign countries. United States negotiators worked hard to ensure that China and India, two of the world's largest producers of greenhouse gases, agreed to the deal and made robust commitments. Moreover, the New York Times recently reported that China and India are expected to easily exceed the targets they set for themselves, proving that American leadership was instrumental in developing a strong agreement that is well on its way to being implemented by the world community.

"If Trump withdraws from the Paris agreement, it could cause the entire agreement to collapse, accelerating climate change and exacerbating its impacts on human communities, impacts which include deadly hurricanes, severe droughts, and rising sea levels. Trump's rejection of science and his disdain for international agreements negotiated by previous American leaders are a threat to humanity's future."