WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement after the major announcement by President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding greenhouse gas emissions:


“A global agreement to slash carbon emissions is all but impossible without the cooperation of the world's two largest polluters. Last night, we took an historic and unprecedented step toward that goal. I applaud the president's continued leadership on this front, and hope that last night's announcement will drive progress at next month's climate summit in Peru. I also believe that this announcement should help spur action at the Montreal Protocol meeting in Paris next week, where the U.S. is leading the way toward reducing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a highly-potent short-lived climate pollutant that warms the atmosphere much faster than carbon dioxide.”