Environmental Defense Praises Passage Of Climate Change Budget Amendment

Environmental Defense today praised U.S. Senate leaders for supporting a budget amendment to commit $4.5 billion over 10 years to fund climate change programs. Among other things, this amendment, which passed on a voice vote, ensures that the budget includes sufficient funding for the U.S. to fully engage with the international community in ongoing negotiations under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), James Jeffords (R-VT), John Kerry (D-MA), and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) showed important leadership in supporting funding for climate change programs,” said Environmental Defense legislative director Elizabeth Thompson. “Cuts in the current administration budget proposal could seriously undermine efforts to understand and respond to the threat of global climate change. Today’s amendment will help to ensure these programs can go forward.”

Just a few weeks ago the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the threat from global warming has grown and that Earth’s climate, its species, and many of its countries are already feeling the effects.