Ken Salazar served as Secretary of the Interior for President Barack Obama. He’s speaking in Idaho next week on the role the U.S. plays in global climate change negotiations and is critical of the current administration’s attention to climate change.
Salazar toldIdaho MattersTuesday that, even though the Paris climate agreement had issues, President Donald Trump’s intention to withdraw from the agreement doesn’t make sense.
“At least there was a framework where the global community was coming together to address what is a global issue,” Salazar said, “and in my view, it was a mistake to have walked back from that.”
Salazar says the United States plays a particular role in global climate policy.
“When it comes down to climate and conservation it’s really important for us to recognize that we are looked on by the rest of the world to lead,” he said.
Salazar reminds listeners that the U.S. is still home to the best wildlife agencies and park system in the world. Plus, he says, we’ve faced huge challenges as a country in the past, “and somehow, the human spirit and the intelligence of our people here in this country were able to find solutions to problems that seemed very difficult to solve.”
Salazar is this year’s Bellwood Memorial Lecturer at the University of Idaho. His lecture is next Wednesday in Moscow. On Tuesday, he’ll be at JUMP in Boise for a reception.
For more local news, follow the KBSX newsroom on Twitter @KBSX915
Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio
