[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 79 (Monday, May 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2797-S2798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CLIMATE CHANGE

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, the United States is a world leader in 
innovation, science, and technology; promoting democratic and 
humanitarian values; and maintaining international security and 
economic stability. The United States should play no less of a global 
leadership role combating climate change.
  Climate change is the defining issue of our time. It is our greatest 
environmental, political, and moral challenge. History will judge our 
generation by what we do--or don't do.
  I call on this body to pass S. Res. 155, affirming in no uncertain 
terms the U.S. responsibility to work cooperatively with the 
international community to aggressively and effectively fight climate 
change.
  There is no need to debate whether manmade climate change is 
occurring. The scientific evidence is clear. Greenhouse gases emitted 
through human activity are having a profound effect on Earth's climate, 
and 2016 was the warmest year on record, beating the record of 2015, 
which beat 2014's. The international community is no longer debating 
the science of climate change, and there should be no further debate in 
the halls of Congress.
  Instead we must agree how the United States--as part of the 
international community--will take all steps necessary to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions to preserve our environment and way of life 
for future generations.
  We are seeing species extinction and reduction in record numbers. We 
are seeing our landscapes changing, especially in the American West and 
in our colder climates like the Arctic. We are seeing extreme weather 
events devastate communities.
  As a dry, arid State in the Southwest, my home State of New Mexico is 
right in the bull's eye of climate disruption. New Mexico is the 
country's sixth-fastest warming State: the annual temperature has 
increased about 2.7 degree Fahrenheit since 1970. Droughts are becoming 
more intense. We have decreased snowfall in the winter and decreased 
runoff in the spring. All this has negative consequences for our land 
and communities.
  Climate change not only threatens our environment, it threatens our 
economic stability and international security.
  More than 1,100 U.S. businesses, corporations, and organizations, 
many of which operate internationally, are on record supporting the 
Paris Agreement. The businesses include Arch Coal, BP, Chevron, 
ConocoPhillips, Dow Chemical, and DuPont. Business leaders agree that 
the Paris Agreement is good for business.
  Support for the accord is broad based within private industry, from 
electricity generators such as PG&E and National Grid, to oil companies 
such as Exxon Mobil and Shell, to mining companies such as Rio Tinto, 
and to manufacturers such as General Motors. Even some of the largest 
coal producers, such as Cloud Peak Energy and Peabody Energy, support 
remaining in the agreement. This broad support is due to a simple 
reality: leaders of successful businesses make decisions based on the 
available science, not ideology.
  Business leaders are telling Congress and the President to stay in. 
Last November, over 360 businesses and investors called on U.S.-elected 
leaders to support the Paris Agreement and other domestic low-carbon 
policies. The letter was signed by more than a dozen Fortune 500 
companies, as well as small family-owned businesses across more than 35 
states. All these businesses want the U.S. economy to be energy 
efficient and powered by low-carbon energy. They are concerned that a 
failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk.
  Despite this overwhelming support from the business community, the 
President has not decided whether the U.S. should continue as a member 
of the Paris accord. He is undecided despite the fact that his 
Secretary of State, former CEO of the world's largest oil company, says 
we should stay in, so we have a ``seat at the table.''
  While sufficient resources and attention must be given to carbon-
intensive industries and their workforces to ensure that transitions 
are not disruptive, we must look forward to supporting a new energy 
economy, that addresses climate change and produces good jobs.
  We should not underestimate the threat climate change poses to 
national security. Secretary of Defense Mattis does not. He has 
testified before Congress that climate change poses as a national 
security threat. Indeed, the Pentagon has considered climate change a 
national security threat for over a decade.
  Secretary Mattis wrote to the Senate Armed Services Committee that, 
``[c]limate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where 
our troops are operating today.'' He observed that, ``[c]limate change 
can be a driver of instability, and the Department of Defense must pay 
attention to potential adverse impacts generated by this phenomenon.'' 
To prepare for this threat, Secretary Mattis stated that ``. . . 
climate change is a challenge that requires a broader, whole-of 
government response. If confirmed, I will ensure that the Department of 
Defense plays its appropriate role within such a response by addressing 
national security aspects.''
  According to the American Security Project, climate change serves as 
an ``accelerant of instability''or a ``threat multiplier'' that makes 
already existing threats worse. ``The threat of global warming for 
security will manifest through a range of effects: resource scarcity, 
extreme weather, food scarcity, water insecurity, and sea level rise 
will all threaten societies around the world. Too many governments are 
not prepared for these threats, either because they do not have the 
resources or because they have not planned ahead. How societies and 
governments respond to the increase in instability will determine 
whether climate change will lead to war.''
  The President should not disregard the advice of his Secretary of 
Defense and the established position of the Pentagon. The challenge of 
climate change

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requires a broad response from the entirety of the Federal Government. 
The President should meet this challenge head on.
  Across the globe, people are suffering from the effects of climate 
change. U.S. businesses and the military feel those threatening impacts 
as well. U.S. elected officials must listen to these businesses and our 
Armed Forces. The United States should not only have a seat at the 
international table, we should be leading the global community. I urge 
passage of S. Res. 155, affirming our commitment to work with the 
international community to effectively address climate change.

                          ____________________