This week, the Senate voted on an amendment proposed by Senator Brian Schatz that declared a simple, scientifically proven truth: climate change is occurring, and human activity is significantly contributing to it. The vote put every Senator on the record testifying to that truth. As it turned out, 50 senators agreed with Senator Schatz and the vast majority of the American people, with five Republicans joining the entire Democratic contingent. But because the vast majority of Republican Senators opposed this basic statement of fact and due to the rules of the Senate, the amendment failed, showing that the Mitch McConnell-led Senate is turning its back on reality and the vast majority of the Americans who embrace it.
Take a look at some of the numbers. According to a recent post-election poll, 69 percent of Coloradans want Congressman-elect Cory Gardner to act on climate change. Given his campaign promise to be a “new kind” of Republican, this seems like something Colorodans can expect from their senator. During Gardner’s campaign he called himself a different kind of Republican and talked about protecting Colorado’s air, water and wild places and the need for increased renewable energy. But he chose to vote against the wishes of his constituents and his running platform. He chose not to be different, not to stand up for what’s right. He chose deny and decry climate science.
Ron Johnson, a Senator for Wisconsin also chose to ignore his state’s concerns. A 2013 Stanford University survey shows that 79 percent of Wisconsinites believe climate change is real and a problem. But Ron Johnson didn’t care, and instead voted against the amendment and against the health and safety of his state.
The denialism continues in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Senators Pat Toomey (Penn.) and Rob Portman (Ohio) took the coward’s way out with their votes. While they voted for another amendment stating that humans contribute to climate change, they voted against Sen. Schatz’s amendment that said that human activity is significantly contributing to climate disruption, which we all know to be true.
The same Stanford University survey shows that Senator Toomey is out of touch with his constituents. More than three quarters (76 percent) of Pennsylvanians believe climate change is caused “mostly by things people do.” But Pat Toomey ignored their concerns and instead voted with his party, and chose to deny that humans significantly contribute to climate change.
According to a Yale University survey, most Ohioans (70 percent) believe global warming is happening and about half (49 percent) believe that if global warming is happening, it is caused mostly by human activities. Forty-five percent of Ohioans have even felt the effects of climate change, but Senator Portman decided to ignore their concerns and deny the significant impact of humans on climate change.
Climate change is undeniably real and happening -- scientists know this, and Americans know this. It seems the only people who don’t care are our Republican senators. It’s time they listened to their constituents and vote with our concerns, our health, and our safety in mind.
-- Lauren Lantry, Sierra Club Media Team