Statement on IPCC Working Group Report

Washington – Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright, member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, issued the following statement following the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group II report detailing impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability associated with climate change:

“The release of the IPCC’s Working Group Report makes evident the damaging and often tragic effects of climate change in nearly every part of the world, including the U.S.  Unfortunately, we remain ill-prepared for the potentially immense impacts on food security, water supplies and human health.

“It is clear that the federal government needs a strategic approach with strong leadership and the authority to address resiliency and risk management that encompasses the entire range of related federal activities and better positions the government to respond to these issues.  That’s why I’ll be introducing legislation in the coming weeks that provides a comprehensive resiliency and risk management plan building off of the existing work of the Federal government and incorporating the recommendations of the GAO.  This legislation will address the need to protect our nation’s assets and citizens from the huge risks posed by extreme weather.”