Schatz talks COP

Axios spoke with longtime climate hawk Schatz today about the agreement …

Tell us how you're thinking about this agreement and the commitment to transition away from fossil fuels.

This at least gives us a fighting chance to reach climate safety, so I think it was a B, B-plus COP. You can never really give a better score than maybe an A-minus, because none of these commitments are mandatory.

• But we're getting a little closer to fidelity on these [Nationally Determined Contributions].

How could this impact Congress' ability to pass additional climate legislation?

We took the biggest climate action in human history [in the IRA]. That is the defining aspect to American climate policy right now.

• On the prospects for bipartisanship, I remain open for business.… Just color me at least a little skeptical because I have made many, many overtures.
• I think it's better than before, in terms of at least some of the Republicans going to the COP are not Jim Inhofe.
• Conservation and efficiency, geothermal, carbon capture, carbon storage and sequestration … there are opportunities for us to work together. It's just that Donald Trump leads the Republican Party, and he's affirmatively enthusiastic about warming the planet.

What did you make of the large GOP presence at COP28? Is there real change afoot among Republicans, or is this more of the same?

I think the proof will be in whether or not I get a phone call from one or several of these members to say "Hey, let's try to figure out a way to solve the climate crisis."

• And no pilot programs, no studies, no voluntary stuff, but real action to address the crisis.
• It's not impossible to find. I've done it with Lisa Murkowski and Mike Braun.