Congress to Decide if Climate Change is Real

Washington, D. C. – Seeking to override a Presidential veto of a bill to permit the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has promised to allow for an open amendment process on yet another attempt to get a bill passed.

According to The Hill, McConnell said Tuesday that he will allow a vote on an amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), which asks Senators to confirm that climate change is real.

See Related Story: White House Confirms Keystone XL Proposed Bill Veto

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Sanders’ “sense of Congress” amendment would ask the Senate agree to the following five key points:

• 1) Climate change is real,
• 2) Climate change is caused by human activities,
• 3) Climate change has already caused devastating problems in the United States and around the world,
• 4) A brief window of opportunity exists before the United States and the entire planet suffer irreparable harm,
• 5) It is imperative that the United States transform its energy system away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy as rapidly as possible.

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Sanders acknowledges that he is unlikely to be able to muster enough votes to get his amendment passed, however it does set up Republicans to publically declare their opposition to the idea that climate change is a real thing.

According to Center for American Progress (CAP), 70% of Republicans in the Senate deny the existence of climate change or obstruct action on climate change.

Regarding the science behind climate change, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) offered the wishy-washy position of, “I can’t say one way or another what is the direct impact, whether it’s man-made or not. I’ve heard arguments from both sides.” In debate last year, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) denied climate change as a fact.

Whereas 97% of scientists who agree climate is very real and caused by humans. On their web site, the Union of Concerend Scientists says, “Global warming is happening now. The planet’s temperature is rising. The trend is clear and unmistakable.”

Related Video: Climate Change: Happening Now

In 2014, the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2014 (IPCC), that looks at the most recent physical science of climate change, has demonstrated that climate has changed beyond historic variability and humans are the main cause.

In 2009 Pew Research Center surveying of the public, 35% of Republicans, 53% of independents and 75% of Democrats said there was solid evidence of rising temperatures on earth. Today, half of Republicans (50%), 62% of independents and 88% of Democrats say this, according to a October, 2013 survey. Overall, two-thirds of Americans say there is solid evidence that the earth has been getting warmer over the last few decades.