Rep. Melissa Hortman (36B) – Legislative Update
I wanted to share with you that I’m part of an exciting effort this November. From Nov. 6th to Nov. 17th, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, a.k.a. COP23, is happening in Bonn, Germany. More than 195 countries will come together to discuss climate change policy and refine implementation strategies for the Paris Agreement. I will be attending the talks From Nov. 11th – Nov. 17th to represent Minnesota’s climate leadership in the state government sector. Our delegation includes representation from clean energy, elected officials, indigenous communities, youth, law, philanthropy, and more.
Through the Window Into COP23 program from Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy, nine Minnesota leaders will attend the conference to learn how other countries, businesses, nonprofits, and state and local governments from around the world are taking action. We will bring back ideas and strategies to Minnesota, and we will share Minnesota’s success stories.
Given that the current U.S. federal administration has stated they intend for the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, it is more important than ever that state leaders from across the United States tell the rest of the world that We Are Still In – we are committed to the Paris Agreement. (Fortunately, it takes four years to withdraw from the Paris Agreement – so that decision can be reversed by the next President before it even takes effect. If the U.S. exits the Agreement, we will join Syria on the outside, while the other 195 member states of the U.N. are in the Agreement.) Other state leaders from the U.S. Climate Alliance are attending the talks as well – including Governors Jerry Brown from California and Jay Inslee from Washington. There are 14 states in the U.S. Climate Alliance so far, and we represent 36% of the U.S. population and $7 trillion in GDP.
I will be blogging on a daily basis, as well as connecting back to Minnesota with a live webinar on November 15th at noon. Tune into the COP23 experience with me! Sign up for the email digest, and follow my blog on Climate Generation’s website. Or, follow along on social media with #MNCOP23 and #USPeoplesDelegation at @climategenorg on Twitter and Facebook.
Thank you!
Melissa Hortma