Today, the United States took an important step and formally submitted its commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In a statement, Secretary of State John Kerry underscored the United States commitment to playing a leading role in the global effort to address climate change, calling it the "defining challenge of our generation."
Secretary Kerry recalled being alongside President Obama in Beijing last November, when the United States outlined an ambitious post-2020 greenhouse gas emissions target and committed to cut U.S. emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2025.
Secretary Kerry said, "President Obama has already put in place the most ambitious set of climate change actions that the United States has ever undertaken. We've adopted standards to double the fuel efficiency of American cars and trucks, and we also have rules in the works to cut emissions from new and existing power plants. And the target we formalized today will only accelerate these reductions in the future."
In his statement, the Secretary also urged other nations to come forward with their own targets to help ensure we can reach a global agreement at the UN Climate Conference in Paris later this year, saying "We know there is no way the United States -- nor any other country -- could possibly address climate change alone. This is a global challenge, and an effective solution will require countries around the world to do their part to reduce emissions and bring about a global clean-energy future. That's the only way we'll meet this challenge, and it's the only way we'll honor our shared responsibility to future generations."