Former energy secretary for the Obama administration Ernest Moniz said Friday that the record-breaking winter storm in Texas shows “what the stakes are” for U.S. inaction on climate change.
Moniz appeared on “MSNBC Live” and was asked by host Hallie Jackson if rejoining the Paris climate deal was a step toward “earning our place back at the table” in terms of working with other countries to address climate change. (RELATED: ‘That’s Nonsense!’: Fox’s Will Cain Blasts Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Claim On Texas Infrastructure Following Winter Storm)
“Absolutely. And the almost immediate appointment of John Kerry after the election was a demonstration of the commitment, but, as I said, that international leadership that John hopefully will help restore has to be based on a foundation of what we do domestically,” Moniz responded.
In January, President Joe Biden appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry — who recently received criticism for flying private — to be “Climate Czar” and lead U.S. efforts in combating climate change.
“We have to walk the talk to have the credibility to bring the world along to — along the lines of the net zero emissions commitment by mid-century that we need, and just as an aside, of course, the kinds of things that we saw in California last August and now in Texas and other parts of the country now with much more extreme weather, it’s giving the public an idea of what the stakes are for addressing the climate crisis,” Moniz concluded.
Moniz referred to the massive winter storm that hit Texas on Monday, leaving millions of people without power in frigid temperatures. As of Wednesday, at least 21 people have died as a result of the storm. The weather left many wind turbines frozen and strained the state’s power grid.