We cannot allow cynicism to win.

Dear Friend,

Last week in the Senate was a big week for the climate movement. In addition to participating in several public briefings on climate science and actions, I led Democrats in fighting against the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to be EPA Administrator.

Sadly, as acting administrator, Mr. Wheeler has actively rolled back commonsense regulations, rejected science and refused to take action that would protect our climate, our health and our economy.

But that wasn’t all: last week, I also introduced a resolution, co-sponsored by all 47 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, stating that:

I’m proud that the entire Democratic caucus is united behind this resolution. I’ve asked our Republicans to join this resolution, too. Climate action should not be an issue that divides us. There is far too much at stake for us to allow partisanship and cynicism to win. We must come together and take meaningful, transformative action on climate change.

Those of us who live in Delaware, the lowest-lying state in the country, are already experiencing the consequences of climate change. Our state is sinking while the seas are rising. And we know that climate science isn’t part of some grand hoax or left-leaning propaganda. It comes directly from our nation’s leading scientists and leading scientists around the world.

In fact, just three months ago, scientists and experts from across the Trump Administration released a report that outlined the dire consequences if we don’t act now. The report concludes that at the end of the century, climate change could slash our gross domestic product (GDP) by 10 percent. That is more than double the losses of the Great Recession.

I’ve long said that we can and must protect our environment while growing our economy. By taking bold, transformative action to reduce harmful emissions, we can create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and put the United States back in the driver’s seat of the global clean energy economy.

While we’ve had some setbacks, as Bob Dylan once said, the times they are a-changin.’ The wind is at our backs, and in the coming days and weeks I will continue working to further progress on policies that reduce our nation’s carbon footprint, help create a fairer, stronger economy and support those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.