A congressional delegation led by Nancy Pelosi told the UN climate conference in Madrid that the U.S. will take action on greenhouse gases and engage with other countries regardless of Trump’s rejection of international cooperation. Via The Guardian:
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, struck a defiant stance on Monday, declaring: “Congress’s commitment to action on the climate crisis is iron-clad. This is a matter of public health, of clean air, of clean water, of our children, of the survival of our economies, of the prosperity of the world, of national security, justice and equality. We now must deliver deeper cuts in emissions.”
Her rallying call came as developing countries accused the US president of “ecocide” and the UN secretary-general said the world’s biggest emitters were falling behind. Ministers and officials from more than 190 countries gathered in Madrid on Monday for the start of two weeks of talks aimed at ironing out technical details of the 2015 Paris agreement, which needs to be completed for nations to focus on the progress on cutting carbon emissions.
“We are outraged by the dithering and retreat of one of the most culpable polluters from the Paris agreement,” Lois Young, Belize’s permanent representative to the UN and chair of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, told the conference.