Pritzker heads to Europe for international climate change conference
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will arrive Wednesday morning in London, which is his first stop on a trip that includes an international climate change conference.
The governor described his stop in London as a recruiting visit, seeking new investment and jobs for Illinois.
Then, Pritzker will head off to Scotland, where President Joe Biden just touted what some are calling the most significant move ever against climate change — an agreement for a 30% cut by 2030 in emissions of methane, a very powerful global warming gas.
"A hundred nations have signed on to reduce methane by 30% by 2030. That is – methane is 25 times more toxic to the environment than CO2," Biden said.
The president on Tuesday was on his way back to Washington, with Air Force One expected to land around midnight Chicago time. As the leaders of countries depart, the United Nations conference on climate will continue, with Gov. Pritzker saying the Illinois delegation will be the largest sub-national group participating.
Although critics complain Springfield’s passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act will force big electric utility rate increases, the governor plans to brag about it.
"With our climate action plan in one hand and the ‘Reimagine Electric Vehicles Act’ in the other, I will aggressively work to recruit and support businesses that will create thousands of good jobs in communities across our state," Pritzker said.
Countries whose leaders skipped the climate conference were big oil producers Russia and Saudi Arabia, and the current worst polluter in the world – China.