Mike Quigley: “As the world hurdles toward an era where climate change impacts our everyday life, we must recognize the consequences of…”

“As the world hurdles toward an era where climate change impacts our everyday life, we must recognize the consequences of our inaction. Secretary Hagel said it best when he stated: ``Climate change is a global problem. Its impacts do not respect national borders.'' Despite this, we continue to live in a bubble of denial. It is abundantly clear that climate change is rapidly altering the world around us, contributing to higher temperatures, changing seasonal patterns, and driving the loss of species and habitats. The scientific evidence demonstrating the realities of climate change is vast and ever-growing. Just this week, NASA reported that April 2016 was the warmest April ever recorded. In fact, NASA said there is a ``99 percent chance that 2016 will be the hottest year ever recorded.'' If this proves to be true, 2016 will beat our previous record holder, 2015. And 2015 beat our previous record holder, 2014. Sensing a trend here? Earth's changing temperature does not just threaten the existence of plants and animals: climate change also affects our national security at home and abroad. As a Member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am briefed weekly on our most pressing and urgent threats, and it is abundantly clear that climate change is one of those threats. Climate change is what we consider a threat multiplier, meaning it is exacerbating many of the challenges we confront around the world today, and will produce new challenges for us in the future.…”