Press Releases

Today, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-17) issued the following statement prior to President Obama’s speech in regards to climate change that is set to take place tomorrow:

“We’ve reached 400 ppm carbon dioxide pollution and are quickly reaching catastrophic atmospheric tipping points.  If we do not slow, stop and reverse climate change, the consequences will be devastating.  In fact, we are already seeing the effects of a changing climate in the form of more frequent, more intense, and more deadly storms, damaging and potentially fatal forest fires, heat waves that threaten the very young, the very old, and the very poor, and some of the most damaging droughts in more than 70 years.

In the absence of any comprehensive legislation to cut climate change pollution coming out of Congress any time soon, it’s more important than ever for President Obama to use his speech tomorrow to address the coming threats to our nation posed by climate change.

As the GAO stated earlier this year, the threats climate change poses to our nation’s infrastructure, national security, and agricultural sector are some of the most pressing risks to the nation. In the coming months I intend to release a comprehensive climate adaptation bill that will address the need to protect our nation’s assets and citizens from the devastation that is inevitable if we do not slow, stop, and reverse climate pollution.”