Ted Deutch: “I thank my friend, Mr. Lipinski, for yielding and for his thoughtful and passionate leadership in combating climate…”

“I thank my friend, Mr. Lipinski, for yielding and for his thoughtful and passionate leadership in combating climate change, and thanks to the strong bipartisan cross section of Members who have come to the floor tonight to talk about the importance of tackling climate change. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on my colleagues, all of them, to join the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. I started this caucus with my fellow Floridian, Congressman Carlos Curbelo, to start a new dialogue around climate and Congress because we are already facing difficult challenges. We can't ignore it. We can't bury it in political fights. We need to have an open discussion not only for our future, but for the impact of climate change that we are facing today. It is no coincidence that this project started with two Members from south Florida. A 2015 study projected that some south Florida cities could be underwater within this century. The study's author said some cities appear already to be lost. Climate change is already here for Floridians. The effects have hit Florida first. Scientists have warned of warming average global temperatures and the changing climate for decades. Dr. Andrew Clarke of the British Antarctic Survey has spent 40 years at the bottom of the planet watching it disappear. Dr. Clarke said: ``You can see the entire environment changing in front of your eyes.'' We now have climate change right before our eyes in south Florida.…”