Congressman Lowenthal Defends Working Families, Calls for Climate Change Action from Congress

WASHINGTON, DC— Congressman Alan Lowenthal, representing California's 47th District and a member of the Safe Climate Caucus, spoke on the House floor yesterday calling on Congress to heed the warnings of the scientific community and act to prevent the worsening effects of climate change. The Safe Climate Caucus is a group of Democratic members who highlight the need for action on climate change through daily floor speeches and other activities. Click here or see below to watch Congressman Lowenthal's speech. Here is the full transcript as written:

"I just want to report to my colleagues that later this month the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is the leading international climate science body with over 195 member countries, is going to be releasing a report which will predict that the planet's average global temperature will increase by more than two degrees Celsius over the next century.

Not only does this report issue new warnings about continued warming, but it asserts that the scientific community can now claim with 95% certainty that the warming is a byproduct of human activity. 

Yet, in this House of Representatives, the majority party continues to ignore the warnings of the scientific community.  Over the past two years, this Congress has done absolutely nothing to address climate change.  Republicans in the House voted to overturn EPA's scientific findings that climate change endangers health and the environment, they voted to block U.S. participation in international climate change negotiations, and they voted to stop the agencies from even preparing for the effects of climate change.

Just yesterday, Republicans on the Energy & Commerce Committee revealed that they are preparing to introduce legislation aimed at preventing the EPA from limiting the amount of CO2 emitted from coal-fired power plants.  This is a mistake.

Mr. Speaker, we need to be moving ahead with policies aimed at encouraging alternative sources of energy, preparing for the worst effects of climate change.  We need policies that are not written by the coal lobby.  We must take action. 

And I must remind you, just as you raised these issues about the effects of the economy on our middle class and our lack of preparation of working families, the people that are most affected are the people that have the least ability to deal with climate change, and they are working Americans.

It is all related.  We must protect working Americans and the way we do it is not only to acknowledge some of the effects of climate change, but really to give working families the tools that they need so that they can survive and, more than survive, they can prosper in this society. 

That's what this is all about.  I thank you for raising this issue, and I'm glad to show support."

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