Excellent speech by Rep. Jim Moran (transcript on the “flip”), on what is – in my humble opinion – the most important issue facing humanity today. What is so frustrating is that one of two major political parties in this country, the Republican Party, is filled with people who not only refuse to take action to prevent planet-wide environmental catastrophe, but who actually DENY the science of anthropogenic climate change. Remember, this science has been around for over a century now, and has only gotten stronger and more alarming in recent years.
In short, there is absolutely no serious, scientific doubt what’s going on here, but many Republicans can’t accept it because they are bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industries. In turn, those industries are hell bent on extracting every last penny of profit from our planet, even if it means the destruction of said planet. I don’t know about you, but the word that comes to mind when I think about what these people are doing is “evil.” Anyway, it’s looooong past time for action, but to get that action we’re either going to need Republicans to move, or we’re going to need to defeat them at the polls. End of story.
Mr. Speaker, I want to draw the House’s attention to the compelling issue of Climate Change that the House majority continues to refuse to address.
I am joined by a number of my colleagues who are committed to keep this issue before the U.S. Congress by speaking every day on the House floor on the need for Congress to take action on climate change.
We are making this commitment because this chamber is filled with probably the largest collection of climate deniers.
It is here in Congress where a long-term strategy to address this issue will have to be crafted if we are to avoid the worst case scenario and the catastrophic consequences of climate change.
Today, there is almost complete consensus on the science of climate change:
· that the higher concentrations of greenhouse gases over the past 50 years are due to human activity;
· that the rapid increase in global temperature could not have been caused by natural factors alone; and
· that the severe temperatures and extreme weather events we have experienced in recent years, including the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy, all fit the predictive pattern of global climate change.
Failure to take action dooms future generations to more powerful and destructive weather events, alters our coastlines, subjects our nation to more droughts and food scarcity.
Mr. Speaker, an overwhelming majority of the public accepts these scientific findings and understands a status quo energy policy heavily dependent on the burning of fossil fuels must change.
It is not only unsustainable but injurious to our nation’s future.
In the coming weeks I will be returning to floor to highlight the consequences of continued inaction and ways we can move forward with solutions.
Thank you.”
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