Harley Rouda: “Climate change isn't a question of if or even when. Climate change is not our future. It is our present. Kids with…”

“Climate change isn't a question of if or even when. Climate change is not our future. It is our present. Kids with asthma are finding it harder and harder to breathe on their walks to school or to the playground. Raging fires have reduced whole communities to ash in my home State of California. Rising seas threaten to swallow family homes on the coast. Extreme weather has devastated our country from the coast of Puerto Rico to the coast of Orange County. So, it bears asking: What will it take for politicians to see what the American people already know to be true? Americans are already suffering from climate change, and the threat to humankind grows every day. In 2015, almost every country in the world recognized the climate crisis and signed the Paris Agreement. The United States led the way. In 2017, this administration abdicated the throne of American global leadership and joined Russia, Turkey, and Iran in the cheap seats. This administration failed to lower carbon emissions and protect the lungs, homes, and wallets of the American people. The Climate Action Now Act demands accountability from this White House. It is an up-and-down vote on whether the Members of this body support a livable future for humankind. ____________________”