WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement regarding China’s proposed cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Last week, Murphy and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the U.S. Senate’s first bipartisan climate bill of 2015, the Super Pollutants Act of 2015, which aims to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants.

“China’s commitment to implement a national cap-and-trade system to cut greenhouse gas emissions marks a landmark step in the world’s fight against climate change. The announcement is especially meaningful after hearing Pope Francis passionately advocate for courageous action to stop ‘environmental deterioration caused by human activity.’ With the United States and China—two of the world’s largest economies and polluters—and dozens of other countries making breakthrough commitments to curb carbon emissions, momentum continues to increase in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November. I commend the president for his continued global leadership on this issue,” said Murphy.

“It’s time to act,” Murphy added. “My wife and I are raising two young boys and I often think about the fact that one day they’ll both be raising a family of their own. I want to be able to look my sons in the eye when they’re older and tell them I did everything I could do to protect the planet for their children. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.”