Schatz: ‘Lowering costs, saving the planet are not independent goals – they are one and the same’

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) has concluded his trip to Climate Week NYC in New York, where he shared his thoughts on renewable energy being both cost-effective and essential to addressing climate change.

During the trip, Schatz addressed a convening of mayors from across the country and discussed the importance of providing relief at the local level to higher costs and extreme heat and weather. He also joined moderated conversations at The New York Times’ Climate Forward Live and with Heatmap News, focusing on the future of renewables.

Schatz later participated in a roundtable discussion about how federal policymaking can bolster carbon dioxide removal research and development in the United States. He also met with climate leaders from Hawai‘i – including Hawai‘i Green Growth CEO Kalani Kaʻanāʻanā – as well as foreign dignitaries, businesses and industry leaders, academics and advocates.

“Clean energy is cheap, in addition to being good for the planet and the only way to meet soaring demand in the coming years,” Sen. Schatz said. “While President Trump and Republicans in Congress race to kill clean energy, I’m encouraged by the conversations I had this week with leaders from across the country and around the world who understand that lowering costs for people and saving the planet are not independent goals – they are one and the same.”