Climate Change
When I came to Congress, the worst case estimates for global temperature increases by the end of this century were 6-10 degrees Fahrenheit. Six years later, these are now the mainstream estimates for climate change if we do nothing and allow the current trend lines on greenhouse gas emissions to continue. As a teenager, environmental protection in my local community is what first spurred my interest in public service. Now, as a Senator on the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, I am pushing for strong and proactive environmental policies that combat climate change, curb pollution, invest in renewable energy, and promote sustainable development solutions. Only with a diversified approach to these issues can we truly protect and preserve our environment.
In the Senate, I am helping to lead the fight to enact aggressive policies to combat global warming. The science has spoken, and the debate is over. We are now left with the considerable task of crafting a fair, sensible system of curbing carbon emissions. While I continue to support economy-wide efforts to re-price carbon through either a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system (like the Waxman-Markey bill I helped draft and pass in the House), I am focusing my efforts in the Senate on reducing the outflow of a class of greenhouse pollutants often called Short Lived Climate Pollutants, or SLCPs. These so-called “super pollutants” are non-carbon dioxide greenhouse compounds, like methane from landfills and oil and gas exploration, refrigerants leaking from refrigerators and air conditioners, and black carbon in the form of soot from millions of rudimentary cook stoves all over the developing world. SLCPs do much more damage, in a shorter amount of time, than CO2, and I am working on legislation that would allow the United States to lead the world in reducing these insidious, but often overlooked, contributors to climate change. By targeting these pollutants now, we can save millions of lives and prevent irreversible climate damage, all while we work toward a binding international agreement on carbon dioxide.
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