On the recordMay 12, 2015
Mr. Speaker, a new global record was set last week, but this is not a good record. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide surpassed 400 parts per million for an entire month. This is the first time we have reached these levels in over 800,000 years. This is a serious and a potent reminder that we have not yet acted on climate change. The last time CO<INF>2</INF> concentrations were this high, the world was a hotter place. There were forests in the Arctic, and sea levels were meters higher than they are today. Our planet is telling us that climate change is happening. We owe it to our constituents to put aside partisan differences and to begin to work on solutions to this global problem. ____________________
