[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 70 (Thursday, April 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2162-S2163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EARTH DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I rise to join my friends in 
celebrating Earth Day. Senator Gaylord Nelson began the tradition in 
1970, making today the 51st celebration of Earth Day. While it is 
always important to set aside a day to pause and reflect on our 
relationship with the natural world, I consider this Earth Day one of 
the most important yet. As we begin to emerge from the chaos of the 
COVID-19 pandemic and reset our new ``business as usual,'' we are 
stepping into a new world, ripe with opportunity for progress on 
climate change with a more meaningful understanding of what it means to 
live in a global community. Our Nation and planet are at a crossroads 
in determining the future of our climate. With a new administration 
that understands the threat of climate change and the role of the 
United States as a global leader, we are at the precipice of bold 
action.
  The scientific consensus is that climate change will have devastating 
and far-reaching impacts on the environment, public health, and 
national security, and we must mitigate and adapt. In 2018, the United 
Nations U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC found that 
if a concerted multilateral effort is not made to keep global 
temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 
2100, we will cross a tipping point and cause the worst damage by 
climate change. The scientific community has been sounding the alarm 
for years, which too many of our colleagues have chosen to ignore.
  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the challenges and 
opportunities of our increasingly globalized world. More than ever, we 
are understanding how decisions governments, corporations, and 
individuals make have real-world impacts and consequences. Actions that 
affect our climate are no different. An understanding of our impact in 
determining our collective future will only help us in our pursuit of a 
healthier planet.
  Fortunately, our communities have proven resilient and adaptable. 
Over the past year. Americans have been burdened with collective grief, 
fear, and uncertainty. Through it all, our Nation has demonstrated a 
grit and ingenuity unlike anything we have seen in generations. We saw 
parents step up as teachers, corporations pivot their business models 
to keep people safe, and an entire population of office workers 
transition to working from home. In terms of action on climate change, 
this flexibility proves that a departure from the status quo is not as 
unrealistic as we may have thought previously. In fact, a change from 
``business as usual'' can have unforeseen benefits for our quality of 
life and our planet.
  Equipped with the lessoned learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, I am 
more confident than ever that our Nation in ready to commit to action 
on climate change in earnest. Additionally, the Biden administration is 
already pursuing an aggressive climate agenda by reversing President 
Trump's shortsighted decisions and doubling down on President Obama's 
environmental regulations. The Build Back Better agenda recognizes both 
the need to mitigate emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate 
change that are already harming our communities. A great and overdue 
need to update our Nation's infrastructure provides an opportunity to 
address some of our society's most insidious sources of pollution.
  Emissions from passenger and freight transport makes up the largest 
proportion of our Nation's total greenhouse gas emissions--nearly 30 
percent. The Federal Government can and must work quickly to address 
climate change through transportation and infrastructure policy. As 
chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the 
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I am committed to 
ensuring that any legislation the committee considers addresses 
greenhouse gas emissions reductions in a meaningful way. In 2019, the 
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously reported 
an innovative surface transportation reauthorization that indicates a 
genuine bipartisan interest in action on climate change. I am confident 
the newest iteration of this bill will be even more ambitious.
  The imperative to address climate change through transportation and 
infrastructure is particularly important to Maryland, a highly 
developed, low-lying coastal State with aging public works systems, 
which makes it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate 
change. My constituents and future generations have a right to good air 
quality, water quality, and the resilience of infrastructure assets 
like

[[Page S2163]]

roads, bridges, and storm and wastewater systems.
  In recent years, Marylanders have seen firsthand the effects of 
climate change in my State. Intense rainstorms have caused 
unprecedented flood damage to homes and businesses in Prince George's 
County, Southwest Baltimore, Ellicott City, and Hagerstown. The cost of 
rebuilding our infrastructure after these storms is significant. Unless 
we change the way we think about infrastructure in the future, taxpayer 
investments will be washed away with the next big storm. I requested a 
Government Accountability Office GAO report on the Federal Government's 
fiscal exposure to the effects of climate change. GAO found that in 
2018, 14 separate natural and weather disasters occurred, costing the 
Federal Government a total of $91 billion. Unsurprisingly, GAO 
determined that this amount will rise as climate change causes more 
frequent and more severe weather events. Inaction on this issue amounts 
to a gross negligence by Congress in our management of taxpayers' 
funds. I consider it my duty to ensure that the Federal Government 
takes full advantage of the opportunity before us to make long-sighted 
upgrades to our systems.
  In addition to building back physical infrastructure better, the 
Nation is in the process of rebuilding its reputation on the 
international stage as a leader on climate change. By rejoining the 
Paris Agreement, the United States is signaling its commitment to the 
global community. As I speak, the President is hosting the Leaders 
Summit on Climate, where world leaders will outline how their countries 
will commit to their own ambitious goals. The United States is 
committing to a bold 2030 emissions target as its new nationally 
determined contribution under the Paris Agreement. This summit 
represents the formal return of the United States to its leadership 
position and an opportunity to regain the trust from our international 
partners that President Trump decimated.
  When President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris 
Agreement, I helped to maintain relationships with our partner-members 
by introducing a bipartisan resolution that expressed support for the 
Paris Agreement and assuring the international community that, despite 
President Trump's abdication of his duties, leaders on climate change 
in the U.S. Senate remained. I previously led the U.S. congressional 
delegation to the conference where the Paris Agreement was adopted and 
will continue to position our Nation as a strong partner in the 
international fight against warming global temperatures.
  Domestically. this Earth Day, I will recommit to my long-term 
endeavor to preserve and restore the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay 
is the lifeblood of the State of Maryland, and the communities that 
depend on it are seeing their livelihood threatened as the climate 
changes. Saltwater intrusion on agricultural lands and fragile 
fisheries make it harder for Maryland farmers and fishers to earn a 
living. In some cases, Marylanders are seeing their communities 
disappear before their eyes from the dual threat of sea level rise and 
subsidence. A healthy Chesapeake Bay watershed is essential to a 
thriving economy. Additionally, the Chesapeake Bay's wetlands are 
Maryland's best defense against climate change-induced flooding, as 
they act as natural buffers to storm surge during severe weather.
  The good news is that action on climate change, through international 
commitments, domestic infrastructure improvements, and restoring 
regional natural resources like the Chesapeake Bay, will stimulate our 
economy. Stewardship of our environmental can and should go hand in 
hand with economic development. Our Nation will be grappling with the 
economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic for years to come, and bold 
Federal action is a time-tested practice for economic recovery. A truly 
bold investment in action on climate change will pay dividends for 
generations to come, but it must meet the size and urgency of the 
challenge before us.
  I am certain that our Nation can honor our planet and our future 
generations with urgent, thoughtful decision-making. Earth Day is one 
of the most celebrated secular holidays in the world and for good 
reason. We are all stewards of our planet and now more than ever 
understand that we are on a journey together. I will embrace this Earth 
Day and the opportunities for progress that lie ahead. I hope my Senate 
colleagues and all Americans will join me honoring our planet through 
diligent work, today and every day.

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