[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 100 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2017-S2018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Climate Change

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, go outside. It is hard to breathe. The Sun 
is darkened. The air smells of ash and cinder. Children cannot go to 
school or even go outside. An unmasked deep breath outside is a risk. 
On the east coast, it is an ungodly dystopian landscape, the stuff of 
science fiction, movies set in Martian landscapes, except it is right 
now, and it is right here.
  This week, other than 9/11, New York City registered the worst air 
quality in the world. Climate change means more heat in the atmosphere, 
with record high temperatures in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, and even 
Burlington, VT. These high temperatures get locked into place by 
record-setting high-pressure zones--making ``heat domes'' of sunny, hot 
weather that sits

[[Page S2018]]

on top of the landscape, drying it out like an oven. More heat, less 
water--that is fuel for fire.
  And we have seen it coming. Climate change has made this pattern more 
frequent and more intense. And if you don't believe me, if you don't 
think that this is a new phenomenon prompted by climate change, then 
ask yourself, when was the last time that New York or Philadelphia 
experienced something of this magnitude?
  It would be disturbing enough to call this the new normal, but it is 
not the new normal because every year, it is going to get worse until 
we tackle this problem head-on.
  This isn't just a forest fire. This is a climate fire because our 
entire climate is on fire. These wildfires are not just an occurrence. 
They are a condition, and the condition is only getting worse. Over the 
past 20 years, the area of land consumed annually by wildfires has 
doubled. In some parts of the West, that area is expected to grow 
sixfold--six times the fires, six times the smoke--which means harmful 
and dangerous air quality days for our youngest and our oldest, for 
those with asthma and respiratory disease and other health conditions.
  When trees die in a wildfire, they release the carbon that is stored 
within them into the atmosphere. In that sense, you could look at each 
burning tree as being a kind of a massive exhaust pipe, spewing carbon 
up into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. These fires 
aren't just the product of climate change; these fires are producing 
climate change. Additionally, once a tree fully burns, that particular 
tree is gone for good and can no longer reclaim atmospheric carbon and 
sequester it safely.
  Those of us who have been fighting the climate crisis for decades 
take no joy in being right. None of us can take a deep breath outside 
on the east coast right now and not be at risk. But if we ignore this 
moment, if we don't take advantage of the searing example right in 
front of us, then we ignore a duty to act. Our public health is at 
risk. Our very lungs are at risk. There might be a veil of smoke 
outside, but let's not veil our sight to the need for climate 
solutions.
  There is no mystery here. When you superheat the planet and create 
searing heat over densely wooded forests, fires are not a surprise. 
They are the logical outcome of your actions. The future is here right 
now. Today, we talk about fires. In September, we will talk about 
hurricanes. In the winter, we will talk about a polar vortex. And in 
the spring, we will talk about flood and drought before next summer, 
when we will talk about fires all over again, until we finally talk 
about the thing we should be talking about, which is how we reduce the 
emissions, end of this cycle of self-destruction, and secure a safe and 
stable planet once and for all for everyone.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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