Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement after the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a sweeping report on the dangerous effects of rising global temperatures and the disasters that lay ahead if nations fail to quickly slash emissions:
“The United Nations is blasting out science’s alarm to the world, making crystal clear that we have only a narrow window for action to lead the planet to safety. That narrow window requires reducing at once the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. No other path leaves a livable planet for our children and grandchildren. And time is short. In America’s national security and economic interests, we must free consumers from dangerous dependence on volatile oil and gas markets, by shifting to secure renewables, whose fuels are free. ‘Energy independence’ based on fossil fuels is an illusion.
“Humankind has the power to prevent the worst of what is projected in this report, but we need to get going immediately, and reject the constant, covert obstruction by the fossil fuel industry — its campaign of deception and bullying must end. This Congress may be our last chance to pass a bill that will lower emissions on the scale needed to avert major disruptions to life on our planet. I call on the Senate to act without delay.”
In June, Whitehouse introduced the Save Our Future Act, which would assess fees on large corporations responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The legislation would cut emissions by roughly 50 percent after ten years and defray the costs of investments in climate change adaptation and resiliency.
Meaghan McCabe, (401) 453-5294
