Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on the Release of the IPCC Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report
(Washington, DC) – Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the final part of the Fifth Assessment Report, the Synthesis Report. The Synthesis Report brings together the finding of the reports of the three working groups, and two special reports.
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said, “This IPCC assessment sends a stark message to our nation’s leaders and the international community, namely: the adverse effects of climate change are evident today and require immediate action or these adverse effects will grow dramatically worse.
“It is unprecedented in its scope and inclusiveness. The United States, along with 194 other nations, has arrived at a rigorous and open process that yields the most comprehensive and objective assessments of the scientific literature relevant to understanding climate change and its associated risks. The IPCC makes clear to anyone who will listen that the science is well established and well accepted by the vast majority of climate scientists. As I have said time and time again, allowing partisan politics to skew the scientific understanding of climate change is short-sighted and, in the end, counterproductive. I hope that this will serve as a wake-up call to some of my colleagues in Congress.
“The negative consequences of climate change are not abstract scientific predictions for the far-off future. We are facing some of these consequences now and they are affecting every American. I look forward to working with this Administration as it puts forward policies like the Clean Power Plan and the Climate Action Plan, which will help ensure a vibrant future economy and a safe and healthy environment. Climate change is an issue that impacts everyone on this Earth, and we owe it to our children and our grandchildren to do all we can to address it.”
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