Steven Holt: “Yesterday, Speaker Boehner said he was not qualified to debate the science of climate change, but he was confident that…”

“Yesterday, Speaker Boehner said he was not qualified to debate the science of climate change, but he was confident that all plans to deal with climate change would hurt jobs and our economy. Mr. Speaker, I am a scientist, but that doesn't uniquely qualify me to debate climate change. As Members of Congress, we rely on the expertise of others to inform our decisionmaking. And I agree with the overwhelming consensus among scientists: the climate is changing largely as a result of human activities, and we can and must act now--not because I am, myself, a scientist, but because of peer-reviewed reports, like the IPCC and the National Climate Assessment. Less than a year ago, in a speech announcing his Climate Action Plan, President Obama said that he would direct ``the Environmental Protection Agency to put an end to the limitless dumping of carbon pollution.'' This coming Monday, the President will make good on his promise when the EPA proposes the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, which are responsible for about 40 percent of U.S. carbon pollution. We, as a country, have already been forced to endure the costs of unlimited carbon pollution as more frequent and intense extremes continue to cost us in lives and dollars. While the draft carbon pollution rules have yet to be released, of this I am sure: no matter the perceived cost of action, the costs of inaction will be far greater. ____________________”