New Mexico is at the center of the storm when it comes to climate change, and we're already seeing the impacts in the form of devastating drought, extreme floods and increasingly severe wildfires. In recent decades, temperatures have risen 50 percent faster in New Mexico than the global average. New Mexicans and the majority of Americans know that climate change is real and that we must act now to protect our future.
I'm proud of the steps we have taken to diversify our energy portfolio and reduce carbon emissions. New Mexico has every kind of energy resource — fossil fuels, solar, wind, algae biofuels and more — and we're hitting renewable energy goals. Our efforts are boosting the economy, building new opportunities and creating well-paying clean energy jobs in our state. For example, 98 solar companies in New Mexico employ 1,600 people. New Mexico isn't alone — 29 states and the District of Columbia have set goals to reduce their dependence on fossil fuel.
And that's the message I delivered last weekend when I attended the United Nations climate talks, known as COP21. Even though Congress is still playing catch-up on the urgency of addressing climate change, the American people are enthusiastically calling for bipartisan action, and they're backing efforts the president is taking to reduce carbon pollution and help lead the global effort to reduce global warming.
As the Paris talks solidify into an action plan, America's leadership on reducing carbon pollution and addressing climate change will be critical, and we must drive progress. Earlier this year, nearly half the U.S. Senate supported my proposal to require 25 percent of our energy nationwide come from renewable resources by 2025. We need to do more. As a leader on key Foreign Relations and Appropriations subcommittees in the Senate, I'm going to continue pushing Congress to listen to the experts at Los Alamos and Sandia national labs and across the country — biologists, physicists, mathematicians, geologists, electrical engineers, computer programmers and chemists — who say we're running out of time.
We need to act now to protect our environment, our economy and our future. I was impressed by the excitement and enthusiasm of people from around the world in support of the Paris negotiations. Over 180 countries are stepping forward with specific targets and plans to address climate change. Countries across the world are collaborating to do renewable energy research, spur innovation and find solutions. And I'm optimistic we'll get there.
