Richard Blumenthal: Exiting Paris climate accord would cost CT jobs

Connecticut and the rest of the nation will lose jobs if President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to pull out of the Paris climate control accords, according to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

The 2015 agreement, signed by more than 190 nations, seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which have been linked to climate change.

Appearing on CNN’s “New Day” on May 31, the Connecticut Democrat said quitting the accord would hurt Connecticut”™s renewable energy industry, including companies specializing in the production of fuel cells and those that manufacture components for the solar and wind energy industry.

“If other countries lose confidence in our commitment to climate change, they may cut back their commitment,” the state”™s senior senator said. “But equally importantly, they’re going to fill the gap.

“China is now producing jobs and economic progress based on solar and wind investments,” Blumenthal added. “Other countries will similarly, in effect, create more jobs and surpass us in that kind of opportunistic, in a good sense, taking advantage of opportunities that exist that we have failed to fulfill.”

He also said that staying in the accord is essential to an American “commitment to preserving the environment, clean air, and water, but most of all, saving the planet from the continuing effect of climate change and global warming.”