WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Days after the United States announced it is pulling the plug on the Paris Climate Agreement, one of Maine's senators joined a caucus to discuss solutions for climate change.
Sen. Angus King joined the new bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. King hopes the seat at the table can help bring the impact of climate change in Maine into the forefront. Future sea-level rise threatens Maine's coastal infrastructure, and the warming of the Gulf of Maine can endanger the fishing economy.
“The idea is to not come up with some big comprehensive bill but try to take some small bites on the issue that we can come to an agreement on," said King. "I can’t guarantee results, but essentially if you think about what it is we are doing is try to build from the middle out.”
The Climate Solutions Caucus is made up of three Republicans, two Democrats and an Independent, according to King.
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The news this week that the Trump Administration will be pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement infuriated King. The Maine senator says we walked away when the U.S. is in a position to set an example.
“We can do everything in the world in Maine possible to improve the environment, but molecules of CO2 are still going to go up in the air in China or India or Russia, the Middle East, it’s a global problem," said King. "It’s got to be solved on a global basis. To walk away from this agreement is a disaster. People are going to look back and scratch their heads and say, ‘What were those people thinking?’.
King was on CNN's New Day Tuesday morning addressing President Trump's call for the Ukraine whistleblower to come forward and be named. King says the president's request is a distraction to fill a week's worth of news.
“If their name is exposed... their career is going to be compromised and their life may be in danger. This atmosphere in this country where people are all so wrought up all the time this can be physically dangerous," said King. "I don’t think that’s an exaggeration."
If the whistleblower is named, King fears it can deter others to come forward if the government oversteps.