Carper Following U.S. Climate Report: Ignoring Facts Is Costing This Country Lives, Money, and Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), released the following statement regarding the major climate report issued by 13 federal agencies on Friday that highlights the devastating impacts climate change has on human health, the economy, and the environment. The nearly 1,700-page report also highlights some of the vulnerabilities in communities across the country such as deteriorating infrastructure, stressed ecosystems, and economic inequality that will leave certain areas more susceptible to the most damaging effects of climate change.

“The truth of the matter is that the Trump Administration tried to bury one of the most devastating climate reports in our nation’s history over a long holiday weekend. While Americans were celebrating with loved ones, President Trump hoped that we would miss the alarming conclusions from scientists within his own government about the ever-increasing threats of climate change. But we did notice, and, unfortunately for President Trump, facts are stubborn things.

“Countries around the world, almost all credible scientists, and the United States military have warned us time and time again of the costs and dangers of inaction. This weekend, 13 federal agencies within the Trump Administration reiterated the same alarming conclusion: inaction on climate change is costing this country lives, money, and jobs. It is not a matter of ‘if climate change is happening,’ it’s a matter of ‘how bad will it be.’ Extreme weather events cost this country billions every year, a number that, according to this report, will skyrocket if we continue to do nothing about climate change. We can no longer afford to sit on our hands, and that’s why, as Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I stand ready to work with my counterparts on both sides of the aisle here in the Senate and in the House to find serious ways to reduce our emissions and prepare our nation’s infrastructure for what we know is next. Whether he likes it or not, President Trump can bet that we’re going to keep talking about what’s in this report because our collective future depends on it.”

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