Carper Statement on NASA Determination that 2017 was Second-Hottest Year Since 1880

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released the following statement after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that 2017 was the second hottest year on record, after 2016, since global measurements were first possible in 1880.

“For decades, climate scientists have been warning us that releasing billions of tons of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere every year would come with devastating consequences for our one and only shared planet. These are the facts and they have been clear for years, so we should not be surprised each time we hit another outrageous record. The only thing that is surprising is the continued denial of a small minority of Americans – most of whom seem to serve in Congress and the White House – who are still willing to ignore these red flags time and time again.

“But we don’t have time to wait for the history books to vindicate us. Climate change is already affecting every corner of our globe and will continue to disproportionately harm the most vulnerable among us. Even as some leaders at the federal level insist on burying their heads in the sand, we must urge states, cities and businesses across the country to keep up the good work many of them are doing to show real leadership and address the threat of climate change now.”

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