Paul Tonko: “Last week Pope Francis echoed the chorus of 97 percent of climate scientists whose findings prove that climate change is…”

“Last week Pope Francis echoed the chorus of 97 percent of climate scientists whose findings prove that climate change is real and is manmade, and climate change has the potential to destroy the only planet that we have. Let me say that again. Climate change is real, it is manmade, and it can reverse all the progress we have made as a nation. Pope Francis frames the reality of climate change in a way that we must consider if we are to protect our environment as directed by our Creator for future generations, future economic development, and future progress. The leader of the Catholic Church accurately points out that it is a moral imperative to act on climate change; it is a moral imperative to act as a good steward of the environment and the gifts we have been given. I thank Pope Francis, and I hope the words he shared last week will ring true with all of us, including those who continue to deny climate change, both in this body and around the world. I hope the Pope's encyclical will encourage deniers to work with us to find creative ways to clean up our environment, help create jobs, and make our world just a little bit better for our kids and grandkids. ____________________”