NEWS RELEASE: November 9, 2020
CONTACT: Jonathan Lacock-Nisly
Interfaith Power & Light Statement on Rejoining Paris Climate Accord
In 2015, people of faith and conscience from around this country urged the U.S. to sign on to the Paris Climate Accord as an act of moral courage, committing to limiting greenhouse gas emissions to ensure a habitable planet for current and future generations.
On November 4th, the Trump administration completed the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, the only nation in the world to have done so.
Now, with an Electoral College victory declared, Interfaith Power & Light calls on President-elect Biden to fulfill the promise that he made to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on Day One of his presidency.
“The Paris Climate Agreement is a commitment by the nations of the world to act on the immediate existential threat caused by climate change,” said Rev. Susan Hendershot, president of Interfaith Power & Light. “The Biden administration must act with courage and boldness in order to protect the futures of our children and grandchildren, and do so in a way that centers justice and equity in the solutions. Rejoining the Paris Accord is the first step.”
People of faith and conscience view the climate crisis as one of the defining moral issues of our time. A recent poll commissioned by Interfaith Power & Light found that almost three-quarters (73%) of voters say they are worried about climate change, including 87% of Black Protestants, 82% of nonwhite Catholics, 77% of white Catholics, 76% of Jews, and 57% of white evangelical Protestants.
More than 8 in 10 of these faith voters see their responsibility to care for God’s creation as a reason to act on the climate crisis. We urge the President-elect to listen to people of faith and conscience and follow through with his promise to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on his first day in office.
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For more information or to schedule an interview with Rev. Susan Hendershot, contact Jonathan Lacock-Nisly, IPL Federal Policy Associate, jonathan@interfaithpowerandlight.org
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