Political Quotes

“I am here for my 254th ``Time to Wake Up'' speech. In the time I have been giving these speeches, I have watched the shifting trajectory of climate denial. First, climate change was a hoax. Then, there wasn't enough science. Then, the science is still uncertain. Then, solving this problem would hurt our economy. Then, innovation will magically save us, and now there is a new entrant in the climate denial lexicon: China. ``China isn't doing enough on carbon emissions,'' goes the argument. So we shouldn't do anything at all. It is a talking point you hear all the time from the fossil fuel industry and its array of front groups working to block climate action here in Congress. Now, China has done plenty to complain about. China has stolen our intellectual property, manipulated its currency, jailed its political dissenters, set unfair labor rules, and more. I have been front and center with those complaints about China. Yet, before we offer up China as the latest ``climate denial lite'' excuse for doing nothing, let's take a look at what China is really up to. For starters, China is still a party to the Paris climate accord, and China's President doesn't say stuff like ``wind turbines cause cancer.'' OK--a low bar, I concede. Our President recently tweeted: Which country has the largest carbon emission reduction? AMERICA! Who has dumped the most carbon into the air? CHINA! Actually, that is not quite true.…”