President Obama said Monday that breaking down trade barriers would protect future generations from the “ravages” of climate change.
“We can roll back the pollution that we put in our skies and help economies lift people out of poverty without condemning our children to the ravages of an ever-warming climate,” Obama told the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“No country can escape the ravages of climate change. And there is no stronger sign of leadership than putting future generations first,” he said. “The same ingenuity that produced the Industrial Age and the Computer Age allows us to harness the potential of clean energy.”
He used the speech to highlight a number of international priorities. One of those priorities, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, was paired with climate change in the speech. The prospective trade deal faces skepticism in Congress over how it benefits the U.S. economy. The deal is among 12 Pacific Rim nations, not including China. The president tied the deal to meeting higher environmental standards, which in turn would help meet global emission reduction targets.
“We can promote growth through trade that meets a higher standard,” he said at the U.N. “And that’s what we’re doing through the Trans-Pacific Partnership — a trade agreement that encompasses nearly 40 percent of the global economy; an agreement that will open markets, while protecting the rights of workers and protecting the environment that enables development to be sustained.”
