Ed Markey: “it is summer. It is supposed to be hot, but if last month felt hotter than past summers, you are right. Last week the…”

“it is summer. It is supposed to be hot, but if last month felt hotter than past summers, you are right. Last week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, or NOAA, said the United States experienced its warmest June on record ever. Already this year there have been eight weather-related and climate-related disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damage. Globally, it was found that 2015 was the hottest year on record, and so far this year is on track to beat last year. We can't even hold the record for a year--2016 has been as hot as Pokemon GO--and anyone watching the Senate floor tonight who is younger than 31 has never experienced in their life a month where the temperature was below the 20th century average. That last happened in February of 1985. Ronald Reagan was starting his second term as President, and ``Beverly Hills Cop'' was the No. 1 film at the box office. If you went to the movies that month, you probably saw a trailer for what would be that summer's blockbuster, ``Back to the Future.'' Well, that future is here. Temperatures are increasing, sea levels are rising, rainfall is more extreme, and the oceans are more acidic. Why is that? It is mostly because of carbon dioxide pollution that is released from the extraction and burning of fossil fuel. Virtually all climate scientists agree that the climate is changing and that human interference with the climate is now the driving force of that change.…”