[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H501-H502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CLIMATE CHANGE--A TIPPING POINT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, 2015 was a landmark year for global climate 
change, and that is not a good thing. According to the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, 2015 was our planet's hottest year on 
record. Last year the global average land surface temperature was 1.33 
Celsius above the 20th century average, and 10 of the last 12 months 
tied or broke existing records for highest monthly global temperatures.
  Despite the fact that climate science and research consistently 
display the reality of climate change, some of my colleagues still 
debate its validity in this very Chamber.
  What is there to debate? More than 12,000 peer-reviewed, scientific 
studies are in agreement that climate change is real and humans are 
significantly to blame. For those of you keeping track at home, there 
are zero peer-reviewed scientific studies that state the opposite.
  One of the primary concerns of these scientific studies is that 
climate change might trigger events that will dramatically alter the 
Earth as we know it. Scientists have discovered a number of tipping 
points where abrupt changes in climate could create a variety of 
national and global effects. It is hard to predict when these events 
could occur; but we know that when they do, we will have very little 
warning.
  Reaching these critical points could lead to abrupt changes in the 
ocean, snow cover, permafrost, and the Earth's biosphere. Alarmingly, 
many of these events are triggered by warming levels of less than 2 
degrees.
  We now know that, in the latter part of this century, we will find 
the planet's temperature pushing not 2 degrees, but 4, 5, even 6, 
degrees Celsius of warming.
  While it may seem minor, each degree makes a significant difference. 
A 2-degree shift in temperatures could lead to an increased rise in sea 
level by 55 centimeters. Levels have already risen by about 20 
centimeters over the course of the 20th century, increasing flooding 
along coastlines, impacting people and properties. A 3-degree increase 
could impact water availability and accelerate drought and extreme heat 
waves.
  Each of these conditions would negatively impact the production of 
major crops, like wheat and rice, leading to global food security 
risks.
  Anything above a 4-degree increase would cause even more drastic 
consequences, such as extreme ocean acidification, a decline in 
glaciers, a change in ocean currents, and a nearly ice-free Arctic in 
the summer.
  While the majority of the detected shifts are distant from major 
population centers, the implications will be

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felt over large distances, creating significant economic and 
humanitarian consequences.
  As with any abrupt change in the Earth's system, a cascade of other 
transformations will likely follow, each building upon and exacerbating 
the others. We could see a shift in ecosystems, the collapse of 
permafrost in the Arctic, and an extensive species loss. Each of these 
changes would trigger massive implications for the natural systems and 
society as a whole.
  So what does all this mean? It means we must act now. As President 
Obama said in his State of the Union address: If you want to debate the 
science of climate change, feel free to do so, but you will be pretty 
lonely.
  Today America's business leaders, the Pentagon, the majority of 
Americans, the scientific community, and nations around the world 
recognize that we cannot wait to act.
  We saw evidence of this last year when more than 40,000 negotiators 
from 196 countries descended on the French capital for the Paris 
Climate Summit. The Summit provided the world with an effective global 
framework for addressing climate change, but our work is far from over.
  It is time to recognize that the consequences of inaction are far too 
great. If my colleagues are willing to put political ideologies aside 
and recognize that acting on climate change is not just in our planet's 
interest, but in the interest of humanity, we may still have a fighting 
chance.
  Albert Einstein once said: ``The world, as we have created it, is a 
process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our 
thinking.''
  Now is the time for Congress to change our thinking and address the 
reality of climate change.

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