STATEMENT OF DEPUTY SPEAKER LOREN LEGARDA ON THE US REJOINING THE PARIS AGREEMENT

I applaud President Joe Biden for his swift and decisive move to rejoin the Paris Agreement—a clear signal that the United States climate is ready to reclaim its significant role in the global fight against climate change.

As we celebrate this big win for the climate change movement, we also urge President Biden to fast-track the development and implementation of domestic policies and measures that will support his plan for the United States to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

President Biden’s commitment to rejoin the Paris Agreement and pursue carbon neutrality by 2050 adds to the building momentum for global climate action.

Last year, China, Korea, and Japan pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2060 and 2050 respectively. The European Union, on the other hand, increased its 2030 emission reduction target to at least 55 percent below 1990 levels to meet the net zero by 2050 target it earlier adopted.

These commitments signal the beginning of a radical and exponential transformation of the world’s energy system. This compels us in government to pursue renewable and sustainable energy resources and to fully implement environmental, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction and management laws.###