[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 12, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H2826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING
(Mr. LOWENTHAL asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, a new global record was set last week,
but this is not a good record. The atmospheric concentration of carbon
dioxide surpassed 400 parts per million for an entire month. This is
the first time we have reached these levels in over 800,000 years. This
is a serious and a potent reminder that we have not yet acted on
climate change.
The last time CO2 concentrations were this high, the world
was a hotter place. There were forests in the Arctic, and sea levels
were meters higher than they are today.
Our planet is telling us that climate change is happening. We owe it
to our constituents to put aside partisan differences and to begin to
work on solutions to this global problem.
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