[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 193 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7337-S7338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Climate Change

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, on November 23 of this year, we had 
release of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which is required to 
be released under the Global Change Research Act that was passed by 
Congress in 1990.
  This climate assessment is put together by 300 experts, guided by a 
60-member Federal advisory committee, including 13 Federal Agencies. 
They rely heavily on the panel from the National Academy of Sciences. 
My point is, this is the best scientific information we have as to the 
risks of climate change. The Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume 
2, was issued on November 23, 2018.
  Its conclusions should be sobering to all of us; that humans are 
responsible for the current climate crisis and that we must take 
responsibility to minimize future destruction.
  Four years earlier, the first volume of the Fourth National Climate 
Assessment was issued, and its prediction was that we would see 
increased instances of flooding, wildfires, and higher temperatures. 
Unfortunately, that has come to pass, as we have experienced this year 
and in the last several years an unusually large number of flooding 
episodes, wildfires that we have just experienced, and higher 
temperatures.
  The findings make two critical assertions in regard to how it will 
affect our lifestyle. First, it said climate change is a growing risk 
to the danger of human health. By human health danger, you can look at 
the direct impact of climate change--those whose lives have been 
forever changed as a result of storms or as a result of flooding or as 
a result of wildfires or as a result of sea level rising. We know many 
people have lost their lives, and their lives have been compromised as 
a result of the reality of the new current weather conditions.
  It also affects the safe supply of water--clean drinking water is 
very much impacted by what is happening with climate change--and sea 
level rises and the spread of diseases, from people who are suffering 
from asthma to the spread of West Nile disease, and

[[Page S7338]]

many other examples of how climate change is accelerating those types 
of conditions which have a major impact on human health.
  The report then indicated that, yes, it directly affects the health 
of the people of our country and the globe, but it also has a direct 
economic impact. The damage affects, in a negative way, the rate of our 
economic growth.
  I will give you many examples why. Take a look at infrastructure 
damage. We recognize that the bridges and the highways in this 
country--our infrastructure--were not designed and constructed with the 
realities of the weather conditions we are now experiencing. As a 
result of much heavier damage that we have to deal with, adaptations 
and changes, that affects the resources we have to devote to the new 
realities of our infrastructure.
  Coastal communities have been put at direct risk. First of all, I 
have seen coastal communities shrink because of the loss of shoreline. 
We know the risk factor for coastal communities affects their economic 
growth. They have to deal with the cost of adaptation. That devotes 
revenues that could be used for other purposes.
  In addition, we have seen the economic challenges to agriculture and 
the sustainability of agriculture. In many parts of the world, the 
realities of climate change have taken away their traditional 
livelihoods and sustainability of agricultural products.
  We are also seeing a direct impact the climate is having on tourism, 
which, for many communities, is a large part of their economic 
activity.
  The report estimates that the gross domestic product of this country 
could be adversely affected by as much as 10 percent. That is a major 
hit on our economic progress.
  The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a 
report in October 2018. That report indicated that by 2030, the 
economic damage as a result of climate change could reach $54 
trillion--that is trillion with a ``t.'' This is an economic crisis we 
must address. We cannot ignore it. We must deal with it.
  The good news is, mitigation and adaptation policies work. They work. 
We can mitigate the causes of climate change by our activities here on 
Earth. We can adapt to some of the realities of the new weather 
conditions, but we are not doing it at a scale necessary today to avoid 
substantial damage to human health and our economy. We have to step up 
our game dramatically.
  It disproportionately impacts the poor. The poor don't have the 
resources in order to adapt or move or to deal as other people have. 
They are trapped in more vulnerable communities, and they suffer more 
as a result of it.
  We could talk about every one of our States that are impacted by 
this. In my State of Maryland, I have taken the floor to explain that 
Ellicott City--a wonderful community in Howard County, MD, that has 
what I call Main Street, which reminds you of Main Street America--has 
had two 1,000-year floods in 20 months. These floods are unprecedented 
because normally the flooding conditions are as a result of the rising 
of the river next to Ellicott City, but these were floods caused by the 
increased amount of rainfall in a short period of time that could not 
be handled in its runoff, causing extreme damage. They have had two 
1,000-year floods in 20 months.
  We have flooding in Annapolis, which should be a concern to not only 
the people of Maryland but to our Nation because of the importance that 
Annapolis plays to our national security because of the Naval Academy. 
The same could be said in Virginia, where there is a significant 
challenge to our future military facilities as a result of their 
coastal locations. In Baltimore City, we have had 25 heat-related 
deaths in 2018. That is three times more than we saw in 2017.
  There is no question that this affects Maryland, that it affects 
every State in this Nation. This is an American issue and a global 
issue.
  There is a path forward. There is a path forward that is not terribly 
difficult for us to embrace because it will not only help us deal with 
climate change and the environment, but it will mean a better economic 
future for us, and it is using energy sources that are plentiful, 
meaning that there is a security advantage by doing the right thing for 
our environment and our economy.
  Green energy, conservation efficiencies, all are activities that can 
help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions. It can 
mitigate the damage. It will create more jobs.
  With green energy, there are more jobs than there are in the fossil 
fuel industry. It is less dependent. Fossil fuel is good for our 
national security, since there is an abundance of the green energy 
sources here in America and with our allies around the world.
  In my own State, we have taken actions to reduce carbon emissions. We 
have been effective in doing that, and it has been a plus for our 
economy.
  What we need is U.S. leadership. We saw that in 2015. I was proud to 
be part of a 10-Member Senate delegation that went to Paris as we 
entered into a global agreement to deal with our responsibilities to 
change the trajectory for climate change.
  The U.S. role in Paris was critical to get all the nations of the 
world together with realistic strategies to reduce our carbon 
emissions. I say that knowing full well that COP24 is meeting, as we 
are meeting here, in Poland. This is a convention whose attention is 
going to be to finalize the Paris Agreement Work Program--a rule book 
of guidelines, procedures, and rules needed to turn the Paris Agreement 
into a working system. Every country made commitments in Paris. We now 
need to make sure that those commitments are carried out.

  Shortly before the convening of COP24 in Poland, the G20 met in our 
hemisphere, as I think everyone is familiar with--these are the 
economic powers of the world, all the major economies of the world--and 
they reaffirmed their commitment to Paris. The world economic powers 
did that.
  Now, what is happening in Poland and what happened in G20--every 
country participated, except one. The G20 was actually G19 and their 
commitment to implement the powers agreement--the United States, 
through the Trump administration, did not join. Of course, in Poland 
right now, the United States is not an active participant, since 
President Trump announced that we would withdraw from the convention on 
climate change known as COP. That is not leadership. The world will 
always be better off with America in leadership, and we are missing 
that leadership.
  So my plea is that we need to step up. This should not be a partisan 
issue. Climate change should not be a partisan issue. It is a human 
rights issue; it is a human issue; it is a health issue; it is an 
economic issue. We need to restore the U.S. leadership on this matter. 
We can do that through our Tax Code. We can do that through renewable 
energy legislation, by increasing the CAFE standards, by dealing with 
clean air standards. If U.S. leadership is not going to come from the 
White House, let the U.S. Senate exercise that leadership and show the 
international community that we understand our responsibility and the 
risk factors to our health and to the economy.
  The National Climate Assessment and the activities of G20 and COP24 
should motivate us to action on behalf of the health and welfare of the 
American community and our global neighbors. I urge our colleagues to 
get engaged in leadership on this issue.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana (Mr. Sasse).