Rep. Johnson Calls for Action to Combat Further Costs of Climate Change

WASHINGTON, DC— Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia’s 4th district spoke on the House floor today to call for action this year on climate change, highlighting the costly record-setting weather events across the country in 2013. Rep. Johnson pointed to the overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is causing more severe weather. 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 to watch Rep. Johnson’s speech and see below for a full transcript:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I urge my Republican colleagues to recognize the devastating consequences of air pollution which is causing, or at least contributing to greatly, the drastic changes in the Earth’s climate.

Last year, we experienced severe, record-setting weather across the country.

Yet, Republicans and climate deniers argue that no single weather event can be proven to have been caused by climate change.

Paradoxically, climate deniers are now using the extreme cold snap as evidence to support their cause which is to do away with all laws and regulations that protect our precious air quality.

The maddening denial of the link between air quality and climate change is reckless and is a denial of scientific fact. Our posterity deserve more.

We know, and 95% of scientists agree, that climate change leads to more severe weather overall, and the evidence is overwhelming.

Now is the time for a real debate on climate change, before another devastating year of extreme weather that takes lives, destroys communities and wreaks havoc on our economy.

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