Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator from Rhode Island. Yes, we are already feeling dramatic changes in California. Let me give you an example. Off our coast, the ocean has become 25 to 45 percent more acidic. It has 20 percent less oxygen, and it is nearly a full degree warmer than previous decades. All of that is according to the National Climate Assessment. These conditions have led to harmful algal blooms, a marine heat wave from 2014 to 2016, invasive Humboldt squid, the disruption of the crab, shellfish, and fishing industry. So it is being felt. In fact, the impact has been so great, a number of Pacific coast fishermen are now suing 30 fossil fuel companies for damages. At the same time, the seas are rising. The longest running tidal gauge in the Western Hemisphere is at the Golden Gate Bridge, and it has been recording sea levels since 1854. Now, as this chart shows--and this is sea level rise at the Golden Gate Bridge--the sea has risen 9 inches in that time, which the National Climate Assessment attributes mostly to thermal expansion of ocean water and the melting of glaciers and polar ice sheets. This is already threatening San Francisco's historic waterfront. The seawall is seriously deteriorating and must be upgraded to handle the stronger storms and higher tides we are already seeing and will continue to see in the future.…”