For the first meter in more than eight eld , members of the House Committee on Natural Resources fare together toformally discourse the impactsof climate change on Wednesday .
Though the House Committee on Natural Resources was clear divided down party lines on topics like energy production , most members could check on the need to comfortably prepare their residential district to wield extreme weather events and lifelike disasters . The representatives mentioned hurricane after hurricane , wildfire after wildfire , all to take down the increase urgency of climate change . And , more significantly , the shock it ’s receive on people already .
Panelists included Governors Roy Cooper and Charlie Baker , of North Carolina and Massachusetts , respectively , as well as non - government officials like Elizabeth Yeampierre , the executive director of Brooklyn - based mood justness group UPROSE , and Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. , the president of polite rights group Hip Hop Caucus . A couple odd climate skeptics and diligence sweethearts sat alongside them at the invitation of Republican members .
Most witnesses were clear that climate change is n’t something for leaders to waste metre debate anymore , but a problem that necessitate immediate action — specially to protect the depressed - income communities and communities of color hardest remove . Congress did n’t ask 16 - year - old Nadia Nazar , who co - founded Zero Hour Movement , a youth - led establishment raising the alarm system on clime changethrough protest and activism , any direct doubtfulness , but she perhaps said it the good during hertestimony .
“ Humanity has pushed this planet to the edge , and from my thought , it seems that few in the policy and political world are devote attention to the effect of our actions over the generations , ” said Nazar during her testimonial , her only opportunity to talk .
Now that more common people in Congress are finally pay attention , one might gestate insurance result to come up , but nothing concrete was recommended during this first meeting .
There was , however , sizeable unfavorable judgment to thenot - yet - declare oneself Green New Deal . The idea , which is say to aid transition the U.S. to a light-green vigour saving with equity in judgement , is still nascent , but the Republican committee members used this first meeting as an opportunity to assay to delegitimize likely policy proposal , which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez ( D - NY ) and Senator Ed Markey ( D - Massachusetts ) are set tounveilin the cheeseparing time to come . A draft version of the marriage offer , which Bloomberg has obtained , reportedly include mention of achieve 100 per centum uncontaminating power but does n’t explicitly call for a ban on fossil fuels .
When Rep. Paul Gosar ( R - Arizona ) asked who would be most negatively impacted by a Green New Deal , Derrick Hollie of Reaching America , which focuses on energy poorness among black communities , respond with , “ Minorities because we ca n’t afford rising costs connect with policies . ”
( It ’s deserving noting that Hollie supports fogy fuel development and has collaborated with the American Petroleum Institute throughExplore Offshore , an offshore drilling fusion by the institute . )
Other speaker system , like Yeampierre and Yearwood , made clean they trust ultra change like a Green New Deal is necessary if we are go bad to keep the impact of clime change at true laurel . These witnesses emphasized that the specific policy will look unlike for different place . Every state ’s energy portfolio varies , and every residential area ’s need varies .
“ The needs are dissimilar everywhere in the area , ” Yeampierre of UPROSE said following a dubiousness by Rep. Donald McEachin ( D - Virginia ) on insure such a transition toward white energy is done properly . “ [ The solution ] is n’t cookie cutter , but it is a commitment . ”
Yeampierre was arguably the most forthright during the word . She broke protocol time after time to ensure that her voice , as one of the two char of semblance on the panel ( including Nazar , who was barely acknowledged ) , was being heard . She ’d utter out of terminal figure , unapologetically .
“ We ca n’t lecture about these ecosystems barren of talk about the impact on human rights and on the mass feign , ” she said , after a question was posed to climate scientist Kim Cobb pertain to climate variety ’s impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity . “ More than 5,000 Puerto Ricans died . That is not nothing . That is not just an ecosystem . That was an entire island that was affected . ”
This was one of two hearings on mood variety Wednesday ; the otherheld bythe House Committee on Energy on Commerce was the first in six class . This new beginning of mood variety toleration and discussion is a refreshing alteration from the sidereal day of the GOP - contain House . The clime changemeetings back thenwere not found on science or fact — but on prevarication and denial .
At least that ’s mostly change . have ’s see how the residuum of these group meeting go .
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