The Paris climate pact does not go far enough, according to Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders who also took the opportunity to slam Republicans Saturday morning for caring too much about the fossil fuel industry.
In a press release from the Vermont senator's campaign Saturday, Sanders said the accord presented to the delegates attending the international climate summit in Paris "goes nowhere near far enough" to force nations to lower planet-warming carbon emissions.
"While this is a step forward it goes nowhere near far enough," Sanders said. "The planet is in crisis. We need bold action in the very near future and this does not provide that."
MANCHESTER, NH - NOVEMBER 29: Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner at the Radisson Hotel. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
"In the United States we have a Republican Party which is much more interested in contributions from the fossil fuel industry than they care about the future of the planet," Sanders said. "That is true all over the globe. We’ve got to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and fight for national and international legislation that transforms our energy system away from fossil fuel as quickly as possible."
Sanders has said that global warming is the greatest threat to America's national security, especially as, according to him, "climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism."
A 31-page draft of the climate change pact was introduced Saturday morning during the UN talks in Paris.
"It is my deep conviction that we have come up with an ambitious and balanced agreement," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said while introducing the draft, according to CBC News.
.@LaurentFabius "The proposed text contains elements that we thought were impossible to achieve before" #COP21 pic.twitter.com/g6jT5hQ2yW
— UN Climate Action (@UNFCCC) December 12, 2015
On Thursday, Sanders introduced legislation that would create a "carbon pollution fee" in an attempt to curb carbon emissions over the next several decades. The legislation would require fossil fuel producers to pay for the carbon that they emit starting at $15 per ton starting in 2017.
"If we are going to be serious about dealing with the threat of climate change, we need to end the polluter welfare that subsidizes increased pollution from fossil fuels and instead invest those resources in clean energy solutions that reduce pollution," Sanders said on Senate floor on Thursday.