On the recordDecember 2, 2013
Mr. Speaker, climate scientists like Dr. Rob Dunbar of Stanford are warning us that if we continue down this path of inaction, global sea levels will rise, on the average, anywhere from 1 to 7 feet by the end of this century. Let's just take a 4-foot rise in global sea level, for example. That would devastate coastal communities and jeopardize, in my State, hundreds of thousands of Californians' properties, causing billions of dollars' worth of damage. As someone who represents a coastal port, this rise in sea level will cause us tremendous amount of infrastructure needs. It is our responsibility to take action now to help cut greenhouse emissions so that we can start to curb some of the deepest harm caused by rising sea levels. If we do not act, we are turning our back on every coastal community not only in California, but on this entire planet. ____________________





