On the recordJanuary 27, 2016
today marks the 125th time I have come to the Senate floor to ask this body to wake up to the threats of climate change. This week is a little different because we are currently debating the bipartisan Energy Policy Modernization Act. The bill was crafted by my colleagues, Senators Murkowski and Cantwell, and it may become our first comprehensive energy efficiency legislation since 2007. While the base bill is a good start, we have much work to do before we come anywhere near meeting the challenges we face as a result of our decades of carbon pollution. As we begin debate on this legislation, calls for bold action on climate continue to mount. The World Economic Forum released its ``Global Risks Report 2016,'' which for the first time ranked an environmental risk--climate change--as the most severe economic risk facing the world. The report found that a failure to deal with and prepare for climate change is potentially the most costly risk over the next decade. Cecilia Reyes, chief risk officer of Zurich Insurance Group, said: ``Climate change is exacerbating more risks than ever before in terms of water crises, food shortages, constrained economic growth, weaker societal cohesion and increased security risks.'' Some of my Republican colleagues have begun to wake up to these risks.…





