WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement on the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Warsaw, Poland:

Typhoon Haiyan wasn't a freak storm—it was part of the “new normal” in major global weather events. While we can't trace the causes of one storm alone, we know that they are growing stronger and vastly more deadly as we change the climate.

As the two-week climate summit in Warsaw draws to a close today, I am hopeful that our U.S. negotiators can push for the strongest, most forward-looking agreement ahead of the final meeting France in 2015. Like so many, I'm frustrated by the glacial, uneven pace of progress. But I also remain hopeful that a growing awareness of climate change's real-world impacts –  coupled with President Obama's bold climate plan – can help us forge a lasting, meaningful agreement to help slow the titanic damage we have done to our planet.