We Need Federal Legislation and Public Agitation to Save the Planet
Congressman Jim McDermott

Let me give you some idea of the challenges we have to overcome to have any hope of reversing the effects of climate change before it is too late. A few weeks ago the House Ways and Means Committee, of which I am a Member, held a hearing on climate change. One prominent witness called by the other party to testify said he didn’t think climate change was real. He said it with a straight face and using deep tones meant to convey that he was the expert and we were rank amateurs. In other words, he believes the rest of us are just making a big fuss over nothing at all. When he was finished, I was incredulous - but worried that his denial might be appealing to a lot of people who would prefer to keep living in the dark until the lights literally go out.

I believe we not only have to act urgently, as if the future of the planet depended upon it (because it does), but also I believe we need to address one of the fundamental issues around the crisis – providing a stable market that will both allow producers of greenhouse gas emissions to finance their transformation to clean energy, and encourage separate investments directly in new clean and renewable energy.