Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am not very happy to be back with my trusty and somewhat battered ``Time to Wake Up'' poster. Almost exactly a year ago, I delivered what I hoped would be my last ``Time to Wake Up'' speech and took the poster off the floor. Things looked good then. The conditions for climate progress were in place. Voters had elected a Democratic President and Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress. So the malicious grip of the fossil fuel industry on the Republican Party was no longer a stopper. President Biden ran on a fact-based, uncorrupted climate agenda, and many in our congressional majorities campaigned on climate action. We had reconciliation to work with, and work began on a serious climate bill. Actually, after I stopped these speeches, the Smithsonian asked me if they could have this old poster. It is the most used poster in Senate history, it turns out. And I came pretty close to turning it over to them, but something made me hesitate. And, well, here it is back again. We just aren't making progress, not by the only measurement that matters: greenhouse gas emissions. We are 1 year in--with no bill, no carbon regulation, and no litigation--and look at the climate havoc. Scientists reported that global temperatures registered between 1.1 and 1.2 Celsius above average in 2021. That is among the hottest years ever observed by human beings, and it is dangerously close to our safety ceiling of 1.5 degrees Celsius.…”