The Honorable Donna F. Edwards
Climate Research
August 1, 2013
Mr. Speaker, climate change is not a science debate; it never was. As we know, science is never universally agreed upon. It’s a constant reexamining of what is deemed the squats quo. Nonetheless, the science surrounding climate change is near universal and it is incontrovertible. Over several decades of study, an overwhelming majority of scientists, including many at NOAA and NASA Goddard, in fact, in my district, as well as researchers worldwide, have concluded that climate change is real, is caused by man, and will have a significant impact on our Earth, its process, the safety of our public, and our economy. These findings simply must quell the ideological differences and guide our policy decisions with regard to our environment in all due haste.
As a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I remain astounded that so much climate denial exists within these Chambers. This doubt is translated into slashing funding for climate research and Earth science research, both short-term and long-term. It’s resulted in preventing agencies with the expertise to maintain and develop Earth-observing systems and conduct the analysis necessary to understand our Earth – all slashed.
Just 2 weeks ago, our House Science Committee reported out legislation that would cut NASA’s Earth science budget by a third, something like over $600 million. NASA is a major contributor to our U.S. Global Change Research Program, and such a cut would not only devastate Earth science research, but hamper our ability to understand what is truly a matter of national significance, indeed, global significance.
Unfortunately, my home State of Maryland will suffer disproportionately if this Chamber refuses to act. Maryland has the fourth longest tidal coastline and is the third most vulnerable to sea level rise, one of the major consequences of climate change. Islands and low-lying communities throughout our State will be impacted by rising seas and severe weather events like Hurricane Sandy. Just last week, The Washington Post reported that Maryland’s coastal waters could rise 6 feet by the end of this century. This increase could cause flooding in major cities like Baltimore and Annapolis. Areas on the lower half of the Delmarva Peninsula could be especially impacted. While our State has been proactive about preparing for these kind of environmental changes, thermal expansion of our oceans and waterways will pose significant problems for the State, indeed, for our Nation.
But this is not one State’s concern; it’s a 50-State concern and a global concern.
Goddard Spaceflight Center, which is located just outside my congressional district, is home to a number of climate scientists who are genuinely concerned about observed and predicted trends for the future. This historical trend of warming and sea level ice, in particular, are not fiction or hyperbole. They are, in fact, facts that are indisputable and in many ways terrifying.
I want to bring to your attention image 1 here. In Maryland, the warming trend over 100 years has increased from 2 degrees Fahrenheit to 6.1 degrees, just since 1960. This is significant and concerning warming in just my State. The U.S. trends are equally staggering, and the global trends are even more overwhelming.
But what concerns me even more is this chart here. This chart depicts polar sea ice, which is important to control and moderate global climate. As sea ice melts in the summer, it absorbs the sunlight and warms our poles. What’s happening is that, because, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, even a slight warming of the poles will quicken the pace of global warming and likely lead to more severe climate patterns. Since 2000, Arctic ice during the summer has been melting at rates that are scaring scientists. Here, what you see is a sharp decline during the summer ice melting. Last year, half of the sea ice actually melted during the summer.
I want to highlight one more thing. Our most conservative models didn’t predict what we’ve actually observed in terms of decline in sea ice thickness. Our climate model simulations have failed to keep up with actual significant loss. This problem is twofold:
First, additional cuts to climate research and gaps in our satellites – and there are gaps because we’re not funding them – make these observations even less accurate and weaken our modeling;
Second, the poles are actually warming faster than we ever predicted. It’s estimated that by 2020, all the sea ice during the summer will be melted.
It’s time for us to act. For the sake of the future generations of our economy, our environment, let’s restore climate research capacity. Let’s act for future generations.
