Photo: Yasamin Jafari Tehrani via Shutterstock
January 20, 2021 (BOSTON, MA) – On his first day in office, President Joe Biden is set to sign executive orders bringing the United States back into the Paris Climate Agreement as well as establishing a review of the boundaries and conditions of several national monuments. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statements in response.
“President Biden’s decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement rights an egregious wrong and will require bold U.S. leadership to make up for four years of climate denial,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “The only way we’re going to protect our communities, economy, and homes from the climate crisis is by leading internationally. President Biden must translate his campaign commitments into far more than the modest measures the U.S. put on the table when the Paris agreement was struck.”
“Last summer, we watched in dismay as President Trump effectively nullified the monument status of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts by opening it to commercial fishing,” said Bradley Campbell, President of Conservation Law Foundation. “Defending the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is critical for protecting valuable species, confronting the climate crisis, and leaving a healthy ocean for future generations. We urge the new administration to move quickly from reviewing the monuments Trump desecrated to restoring them.”
The Biden Administration announced the moves in a memo this morning. The President will submit a letter that will formally bring the United States back into the landmark Paris Climate Agreement in 30 days. The monument review will include a study of the boundaries and conditions of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which former President Trump opened to commercial fishing last year. CLF has sued to block that move.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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