Transcripts For CSPAN Youth Leaders Testify On Climate Change 20240714

And alters the earths climate. Yet, scientists tell us more of the Carbon Pollution thats been emitted into the atmosphere has occurred hearing in 1988. 2007 been in Congress Since and weve done some good things since then. We raised auto efficiency standards. Supported the dramatic expansion of wind and solar power. The kind ted to fund of Climate Resilience to protect the places that we know and love. Enough, not by a long shot. Piece ed our first major of climate legislation in 10 years. 9, partisan vote sent h. R. Climate action now, to the action. Here it awaits that bill takes a commonsense approach of keeping the united paris climate agreement. Because the u. S. , we shouldnt back down. Shouldnt surrender. Not in the face of the Climate Crisis. To take bold action now. Now. F 70 of young people in america say they worry about Climate Change. I dont blame them. Theyre doing more than paying class. On in science this generation is the most wellinformed and connected in history, and everything theyre learning has riven them to a new level of engagement. And students are asking powerful rs a very question whats the point of going to school to learn about crisis when your elected officials arent doing enough to act on it . The Climate Strike Movement has nited young people in all countries, all across the globe. Demand cooperating to Climate Action, and theyre asking us to cooperate with Carbon Pollution and protect our communities. That the ost on us United States is responsible for he biggest share of Carbon Pollution accumulated in the atmosphere to date. Serious e a very responsibility to lead. Ut were also the worlds greatest engine of innovation, and we can do this. Solutions. Local communities and states strong ed boldly, but a National Climate action plan has been missing. Scientists in m this select committee hearings, as we will hear from these young today, that we must have e and that we do not time to waste. Our answer has to be more than a promise to do better. Our Solutions Must equal the before us, and i bet that 10 or 20 years from now marching and striking today will be serving in the congress and we need to bold action now because we cant leave it up to them to the mess that congress has made. People say this next generation us hope, but thats not quite right, is it . Giving us a on is job to do. The job is addressing the crisis. If we do our job, then we will because of our hope that means we will have started to create the future that theyre fighting for. He select committee has a mandate to come up with an action plan for congress, and we ideas. Ur we want the idea to come from all corners of this country and beyond. Climatecrisis. House. Gov inforequest and tell solve your ideas are to the Climate Crisis. Not all good ideas emanate from washington, d. C. I think you know that. But its only through cooperation, through coming together in our democracy that e can address the Climate Crisis. These young people are rising to need to enge and we rise with them. Thank you and i yield back. Mr. Keating thank you. Chair now recognizes the Ranking Member of the select committee, mr. Graves. Mr. Graves thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to thank you all for being here today. Most importantly, i want to engaging in your government. Most young folks choose to not later. Until many years i have three kids and we often talk about some of the impacts seen from Climate Change and sea rise in my home where some ofiana the resea rise impacts have exacerbated the loss of 2,000 coast. Miles of our 2,000 square miles. Square miles. To put that in perspective, if that were the state of rhode island, we would have 49 states in the United States. Meaning, the size of an entire gone. Would be i agree that we need to take aggressive action. To ensure t we need we move forward in this ustainable, rational manner, but i think its also important were movinge that forward based on facts. S mr. Kinzinger said a few moments ago, contrary to popular belief, the United States, the United States is the country led the world in Greenhouse Gas reductions. Reduced , we have Greenhouse Gases more than the combined. Untries weve reduced them more than the combined. Untries just last year, we stepped in onned a more progress app daigles and mitigation ash daptation and mitigation strategies than any other. Committing more collars. A resiliency standard. Ensuring, as we are rebuilding were isasters, that building to a newer higher standard, truly thinking about the future. That were putting record dollars toward proactive fforts to ensure that our coastal communities and our iverbased communities can be resilient. And continuing to move in this gas tion of greenhouse reductions. But i also think that we got to ridiculousness of perating myopically or operating as though the United States is in a vacuum. Ts important to keep in mind that the Energy Information dministration projects that by 2030, 80 of Global Energy to be , 80 are going addressed using fossil fuels. This is the Energy Information not some type of partisan hack group. 80 . Last week, we had three bills designed to stop nergy production in the United States. Over the weekend, weve tax in saudi arabia. In saudi ve tax arabia. All that does is increase our eliance upon Energy Sources from other countries that have a lower safety standard and have a standard. Ronmental records show its crystal clear, when we import energy from other places, we actually increase the risk to the environment, spills than risk of when we have Domestic Energy production. I hear people say we need to stop all fossil fuel utilization stop all emissions. For every one ton of carbon missions we reduce in the United States, china has increased by four tons. More than offsetting all the had in thethat weve United States. Moving forward, even under the aris accords that folks are sitting here giving accolades to and saying this is a great idea. Support the u. S. s target in the paris accords. I think signing onto an and agreeing to something that allows for china 50 me in and have a increase, adding another five Greenhouse Gas emissions annually by 2030 is inappropriate. Moving in the wrong direction, not the right direction. I also remain confounded, letters like this one that says we need to pressure he organization of Petroleum Export in countries and cooperating countries to increase world oil supplies in prices at the pump. The impact of rising fuel prices on family omy and budgets is significant and widespread. His letter goes onto say the current runnup in world oil on es is effectively a tax all American Families discretionary budget, except the opec as opposed to the United States treasury. Letterme say again, this is advocating for increased World Oil Production because high. Are too who do you think signed this letter . Who do you think signed this letter . About it just a minute. Put a name in your head. His letter was sent by senator cantwell, senator menendez, and or chuck schumer, and or ed senator ed markey just last year. I remain so confused by what it is we are doing. What it is our policy. Chairman, i ask unanimous consent that this be submitted in the letter. Without objection. Mr. Graves my home state is at risk for sea rise. Forward in a e rational manner that builds on successes and corrects failures confounding hese policies that make no sense. I yield back. Mr. Keating well, thank you. Ill introduce our witnesses. Thunberg is from sweden, a climate activist who helped fridays for future movement where she began going on strike from school outside parliament on fridays. Shes spoken on the climate risis before the e. U. Parliament. Welcome. From margo lynn is margolin is from washington. Zero power, an International Youth organization 2017. D in the summer of also a plaintiff in piper v. State of washington. Barrett is from white plains, new york. Hes a fellow with the Alliance Education and julianav. Ewel United States. And president of the american coalition, Nonprofit Organization to conservativesgage n Climate Change, all of you are here. We appreciate your efforts. Please limit your testimony to five minutes. Without objection, your prepared written statements will be made part of the record. Now go to ms. Thunberg for her statement. Ms. Thunberg my name is greta thunberg. Come to offer any at this remarks hearing. My instead attaching testimony. It is the special report on 1. 5 degrees ng of sr1. 5 which was released october 8, 2018. I am submitting this report as my testimony because i dont listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists. Want you to unite behind science. I want you to take real action. Thank you. Mr. Keating thank you. Ms. Margolin i am Jamie Margolin from seattle, washington. Its my senior year of high school. Application e deadlines looming over me and to busy to makeam too sure i am having the future that for. Plying to study you are spending a few minutes with me but that doesnt compare number of hours that congress spent time with corporations that make money. Fact, the whole u. S. Government, i want you to live with the despair that my every day lives with and i want you to hold onto it. I begin to convey to you to know that within my lifetime the destruction we have seen Climate Crisis will only get worse . What adds insult to injury is fact we get promised what is not there. Applications i ask you, what do you want to be when you grow up . Pop culture, media will say that my generation has something to dont. Rward to but you you are promising me lies. Everyone that will walk up to me private have such a future ahead of me will be lying to my face. It doesnt matter how talented we are. How much work er we put in. How many dreams we have. The reality is my generation has been committed to a planet thats collapsing. The fact that you are staring at of young people testifying before you today earth g for a livable should not fill you with pride. Shame. Ld fill you with youth climate activism should not have to exist. Exhausted because we have tried everything. Weve built organizations, and worked on es political campaigns. I sued my State Government in a called piper vs. The state of washington, along with 12 other mrchs for contributing crisis and te denying my generations Constitutional Rights to life, and property. The lawsuit is also arguing that the Natural Resources of my protected as a right under the Washington State constitution. Salmon, orcas, of the beautiful wildlife of my Pacific Northwest home is dying due to ocean acidification, caused by the Climate Crisis, and communities are suffering e from the new fossil fuel infrastructure being built to of climate des more destruction into my state. To riends and i were warned stay inside the last two summers shrouded incity was a suffocating smoke of wildfires. Such bad headaches and my friends with respiratory illnesses had to go to the e. R. Is this the future we have to look forward to . We are working as hard as we can isnt. Sure it on july 21, 2018, after an entire year of nonstop being ing, despite fulltime High School Students with a lot of homework to do, my marchedtion, zero hour, on washington, d. C. , in a pouring rainstorm and in 25 world around the demanding urgent Climate Action from you and all of our leaders. The beginning. By 2030, we will know if we have created the Political Climate that will have allowed us to or if life on earth weve acted too late. By then we must be well on the recovery, but this must start today. In fact, it should have started yesterday. I will be old enough to run for congress and be seated right where you guys are sitting right now. By then, we need to have already achieved net zero Greenhouse Gas rapidly on the path to climate recovery. I cant wait until im sitting to change the Climate Crisis. You have to use the seats you have now because by the time i there its going to be way too late. The good news is that experts multiple e are pathways to decarbonize the United States Energy System and is both technologically and economically viable and beneficial. Frustrating thing is that the u. S. Government cant even begin to imagine the shift that hasal to happen in order for us to solve this issue. Politics just doesnt invented yet. Een olonialism, slavery, Natural Resource extraction, this is why the youth are calling for a new altogether. As greta mentioned, the Intergovernmental Panel on that we hange report only have a few months left in order to create the massive to tical shift needed transition our world to an entirely Renewable Energy economy. Within the o happen next 10 years, which is our deadline to save life as we know it. My generation z as if we are the last generation. Not. E are we are refusing to be the last letter in the alphabet. Whole re before the country today announcing that we are instead generation g. N. D. , generation of the Green New Deal. The only thing that will save us era. Whole new the Green New Deal is not just about the specific plans laid out in resolutions. A new chapter in American History and culture into ur one that celebrates, encourages, enables radical Climate Action. Right here testifying before you that i am proud to announce that history is being made. Of the reagan era, the new deal era, well, the youth are bringing about the era new deal. En mr. Keating thank you. Mr. Barrett. Vic arrett my name is barrett. Im 20 years old and i am one of plaintiffs in the v. The u. S. Would like to recognize the coplaintiffs. My name are originally from the e island of st. Vincent. We were pushed from our homeland in st. Vincent by british going to belize. We emancipated ourselves to protect our future as a people. And fisheries we depend disappear. He ocean frontland that my family has inhabited for generation will be underwater if he u. S. Federal government continues to promote a fossil fuelbased Energy System. It is not just me and my people honduras being harmed by Climate Change. Frontline communities around the are feeling orld the effectsm fe ispossession of land to the grave Public Health threats that disproportionately affecting myself. These people look like me. Lgbtq, lack, and brown, indigenous. Eye dents tenthities which place significantly higher the impacts ofth Climate Change. I have felt the impacts of Climate Change. I was up in new york, impacted by the Climate Change fueled by Hurricane Sandy which and school ly without power for days. I still experience grave anxiety another eriencing climatedriven disaster like Superstorm Sandy and the harm that these storms will have on family. Nd my as someone who already struggles depression, from my understanding of Climate Change and what i experienced, atching our government knowingly perpetuate the Climate Crisis is extremely overwhelming. Wrestle with this anxiety every day from the moment i wake up to the moment i fall asleep at night. We keep going on as business as usual, both honduras and new familyhe places where my and i are from, will be forever lost to the sea. Thats one of my greatest fears, that Climate Change is going to take these places away from us. Coplaintiffs my coplaintiffs with asthma and allergies suffered from the wildfires in the west, limiting their ability to participate or even go outside. Of them like me are also dealing with psychological harms from Climate Change. The Health Community Climate Change as a grave health threat. It is impacting children and in a myriad of ways. He lists specific health hreats, exacerbated by Climate Change, including heat stress, extreme weather events, ildfires, decreased air quality, infectious disease, all of which pose a disproportionate to youth. Children and nother one of our experts, a psychiatrist known internationally on climate hange explains, with continued government actions which exacerbate the Climate Crisis, suffer from s will catastrophic emotional injuries. He says the federal government sanctioning Climate Change as lawful and federal law and psychological injuries suffered by the plaintiffs particularly harmful insidious. She warns without immediate action by the federal government to address Climate Change, the ental Health Impacts will worsen and be lifelong. Federal government sanctioned discrimination in schools until the middle of the policy that a harmed children, my federal government has also orchestrated and sanctioned a sm of that is el energy harming children in aer way. Irreversibly threatening our personal security, our home, and our communities by recreating a dangerous climate system. Like those in other movements, the youth that must shine of light on systems of injustice. 21 young people, myself included, filed a lawsuit against the United States and in the executive branch liberty, our life to personal blowed, including bodily integrity, a stable climate system that sustains our and liberties. I was born into a world which my culture and inheritance are slipping into the sea. Born into the world where my are going extinct. Show children everywhere that you care about our future and all generations to come. Now is your time to stand in olidarity with me and my coplaintiffs, americas youth and communities around the world to fight for a just future free catastrophic Climate Change. Thank you. Mr. Keating thank you. Mr. Backer. Good morning. My name is ben gee backer ibacker, part of a dealing with environmental discussions. Senior 1yearold student at the university of washington. Chairman thank keating, Ranking Member castor, chairman graves for holding this hearing. Want to thank of the panelists. You have played a Critical Role issue of Climate Change so thank you. Am a lifelong conservative activist but, like most of my generation, regardless of i believeaffiliation, Climate Change is real. I believe humans are making an impact. Emissions rising is. 7 last 1. 7 last year, we are at crossroads in our history. E want productive discussions, realistic answers, and sound policies. I believe antly, america plays a vital role in solving this problem and that we example. By between 2005 and 2017, as already mentioned, we led the Emissions Reductions, more than the next 12 countries combined. Contribution our to Greenhouse Gas emissions is declining, we still contribute 15 of global Greenhouse Gas emissions which is second world. The however, americans have been told onesizefitsall as the green ch new deal, are the only solution. Such policies advocate for an transformation that increases government control, spending, and regulation. Approaches inhibit innovation and are not in an effective way to reduce emissions. In fact, countries of highly restrictive and governmentcontrolled economies disastrous la, have environmental records, and while on the other hand, countries eading in Emissions Reductions have some of the freest economic systems in the world. This reality, and the fact of the matter is, we cannot regulate our way out change. Te markets and competition reduce emissions far more than heavyhanded regulation. A truly effective climate plan on americas e strength, technological dvancements and empower consumers, bold global leadership. We need to decarbonize fossil increase the , number of nuclear and hydropower plants, continue developing wind, encourage research and development into other clean energy technologies. Easier to export innovative than an technologies burning some regulations to developing nations. Understand the privilege americans bring into this conversation. Across the globe, those who can to climate adapt change are wealthy and live in developed countries. Its unfair to ask someone to based on es sustainability when theyre struggling to survive. Cleaner nsition to Energy Landscapes in the United States and abroad, we need to consider the most vulnerable in world. There are still over one billion people without electricity worldwide. To clean energy needs to of had a but it cant happen overnight. Climate change conversations are dominated by hopelessness and despair. In reality, fighting climate opportunity to improve human health, lift the economy. D grow promising signs. Many bipartisan climaterelated bills have been introduced and passed in thst twoears. Were reducing emissions and new ing remarkable technologies. More republicans are speaking up than ever before. His innovationbased approach is not limited to the United States either. Just yesterday, the british onservation alliance, a group inspired by my organization, a. C. C. , was launched by students United Kingdom to odd advocate for marketbased environmental reforms. Were making strides in the direction, but we must do more. Ach of us play a Critical Role in tackling Climate Change. To my fellow conservatives, the changing. Its time to claim our seat at the table and develop smart, policies to nment establish American Leadership on this issue. There is a reasonable approach to Climate Change and we need to embrace it. To those on the left, without leadership, this would not be receiving the attention that it deserves. Solutions. S time for politicizing Climate Change has deepened the partisan divide and action. Real if you truly want to address Climate Change, work with conservatives who want to reforms. To congress, on Climate Change, its not about republicans or democrats. Those who are taking effective action and those who are not. On climate tions change should be about cutting global Greenhouse Gas emissions, about political pandering. O President Trump, Climate Science is real. Its not a hoax. Its accepted that humans are impact on our ve climate. As a proud american, as a as a ng conservative, young person, i urge you to accept Climate Change for the eality it is and respond accordingly. We need your leadership. People, you to young have a remarkable power. The four of us testifying up here today are all under the age 22. The world is listening with open ears and hearts to our voices like yours. Ust stand for what you believe in. Uplift the world and dont back down. Change is about our future and people need to hear you and us. Conclusion, i grew up on the hores of lake minocqua in northern wisconsin where i connected with outdoors early in life. Nature is where i find the most myself. D calm within thats why i founded the american conservation coalition, o fight for wild places and stop Climate Change from destroying them. The health of the environment affects all of us regardless of our background, or our political affiliation. Ts time for americans to join together, find solutions on Climate Change and protect our planet for generations to come. Thank you. Ki r. Keating i thank all of the witnesses. I recognize myself for less than ive minutes so we can get as many people to ask questions as possible. With ms. Thunberg. Ipcc ose to submit the report in lieu of your testimony. Can you expand where its so mportant to listen to the science . Thunberg well, i dont see reason to not listen to the science. Just saying we should be taking listen to the current best available united science. Its just something that everyone should do. Not political opinions, opinions. Views or my this is this is science. Yeah. Mr. Keating thank you. In all of your testimony, not urgency came through when i was listening to what you had to say, but as someone from another listening, the last thing we would want for the follow for our children, grandchildren, and ther peoples children and grandchildren is to hear in some fear and marks actual anxiety being expressed. Each of you that can jump right in as you see fit on what thats like. I think that message should be by all of us, not just urgency, but what are we doing next generation . How are their lives impacted by were not doing and what were doing . So if you could, ill let you yourselves, among each of you will have a chance to answer that question. Me, its lin for similar. Like vic, i have underlying issues of anxiety. And its really hard to grow up in a world full of ifs. I dont think a lot of people in understand the conversations that are happening in everyday american high constantly were asked, prepare for your future, study for your future, do for our future, but our world is full of ifs. Ill be talking to my best want to d she says, i see this natural place sometime if its going to be around. Want to be study this if thats still going to be a possibility. Its just like this constant looming uncertainty and its weird form of nilism and thats been ar existing in my generation where ids are joking, like, what is even like the point . The world is ending . Are we studying for . What are we doing . Its this depression and fear just me and among our panelists, but no child should have to fear. If you think about it, if you go ack to, what is the purpose of a parent, down to just the givegical purpose, its to their child the best future and he best life they can possibly have. The supposed American Dream is to make sure that children have than the adults. Right now its like some members f government and some corporations are actively pointing a gun to childrens futures. Actively making it worse, actively going out of their way o support corporations and poison us and destroy our future and that is horrifying and it a betrayal. Its like a knife to the heart to know people that have kids, in these go around campaign ads and will be holding these babies. Oh, vote for me. With a small child. While they actively poison and choose their wall etc. Over their children. Wallets over their children. Its devastating and scary but weve been e betrayed. Mr. Keating in less than a minute, would anyone else like to comment on that . Bipartisan adolescence isnt being easy without threat test existential of our time. Mr. Backer i definitely understand and agree with the that this is something that a lot of young people tress about and thats why i got into this movement to begin with in 2016 because i thought americans thing that need to tackle and the movement i associated with, the conservative movement needed to as well. The more i gotten into this movement, the Climate Change movement, the more ive seen is actually a positive. Theres actually a lot of here. Unity that we have time. Science says so. We do have time. We have an opportunity and a chance for people to come this issue and Work Across Party Lines and generate conomic growth to solve this issue. So i feel hopeful. Mr. Keating great. Now yield to the Ranking Member, mr. Graves. R. Graves thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to thank you, all, for your testimony. All of you. Was impressive. It. Ry much appreciate ms. Thunberg, you said, lets unite behind the science. Couldnt agree with you more. Lets unite behind the science, and i think we actually need science, not less. R. Backer, you said we need to stop this partisan fighting and ctually Work Together to yield solutions that make sense. Let me say it again, you have propose this Green New Deal, yet, when its brought up for a vote, nobody votes for it. No one. You have efforts like last week stop energy production, yet, you have letters going out saying, hey, we want you to more oil in middle Eastern Countries and other that dont share american values, and that have have highergy, that emissions than in the United States. This whole thing is a charade. You actually look at science, ms. Thunberg, and you are it facts, the facts wasnt waxmanmarkey legislation to that was designed require emissions reduction that yielded United States leading he world in emissions reduction. It was actually folks doing the ight thing, stepping in and actually reducing emissions, hrough innovation, through efficiency, through conservation, where were leading the world. The ct, we have beat projections under waxmanmarkey, and we have done it with cheaper prices. Those are the facts. Next, going to mr. Backer, when actuallyat where weve made progress, once again, talking about last year, i together, mr. Sires and i on the Transportation Committee here we developed the first resiliency standard. Bipartisan, unanimous bill passed out of the committee dedicated record funding to resiliency and the united nd in states, today, were spending Climate Science Technology Energy solutions than anywhere in a world. In a have been done bipartisan manner and are yielding results. Not the charades. These things arent yielding anything. Ms. Thunberg first of all, if you use that logic i am also dumping a lot of trash in the ocean. Then i would stop dumping my trash in the ocean and tell the other boats to stop dumping their trash as well. Mr. Graves thatthe important point here. I think what we need to be doing is we need to be focusing on the countries dumping trash in the ocean. Thats a metaphor. The fact that china is here we are talking about reducing emissions. Yet china under the paris accords are going to be increasing their emissions by nearly 50 . Five gigatons annually. So while in the United States we need to continue investing in Innovative Solutions and exporting clean energy technologies, it makes no sense for us to do it. Mr. Backer, the ipcc report talks about numerous Solutions Moving forward, including clean energy and others. Under ipcc does it contemplate only, only renewable Energy Sources moving forward . Mr. Backer thank you. It actually does not. I think that it shows a strong trend that we need to generate more clean energy going into the future. Theres no doubt about that. And reduce emissions via clean energy technologies, but there is no statement in the ipcc report that says that we need to go 100 clean to reduce emissions at the level we need to to fix this problem. Mr. Graves moving on from there. If moving forward, even under ipcc, it doesnt contemplate not using any conventional fuels moving forward for the next few decades, anyway. Do you think it makes sense to utilize the fuels from the nation that has the Cleanest Energy or do you think that it makes more sense to, for example, use russian gas that releases 13 greater emissions as we move forward . Which makes more sense . Or do you think it makes sense to perhaps get fuels from nigeria that just a few years ago had 2,000 ongoing spills . Mr. Backer i think its important for americans to understand that we do generate fossil fuels cleaner than anywhere else in the world. While the rest of the world still relies on fossil fuels thats an important thing to note, do i think while we continue to generate power for the rest of the globe and uplift people, we as a country also start transitioning more and more to clean technologies, which i think we are starting to do. But i do believe that making sure that the rest of the world is generating fossil fuels safely is important because its going to be a part of our future. Especially today. And the United States does do it cleaner than anywhere else in the world. Thats a fact. Its something we have to think about. Mr. Graves thank you. Yield back. Lele chair keating chairwoman castor. Chair castor you point ut the United States must lead by example. And despite recent emiions reductions, the United States is currently the second highest emitting country in the world annually. And although we rank number two now, the United States is responsible for the most Carbon Pollution accumulated in the atmosphere. Some peoplecy that the United States should not dramatically reduce our emissions because china and other countries arent doing enough. Id like to have your view on that and have each of the witnesses comment on that briefly. Mr. Backer i think thats a false approach because weve never in history looked at a problem that we contribute in the United States and said, well, its happening somewhere else then we shouldnt fix it. So i dont think that thats a reasonable excuse, but i also do think its important to note that other countries are emitting and we must hold them accountable as we hold ourselves accountable. America has led on lots of initiatives in the past. You have people in hong kong waving their flags and singing the American National anthem because we inspire them. We can do the same thing on Climate Change. Mr. Barrett i would say what you said is totally true. The United States contributes to 25 of historic emissions in the world. And if we are the country that we say we are, if we are the leaders that we say we are, we need to lead by example here and work on what we are doing here so that the rest of the world can follow our lead. Ms. Margolin i have a question. When your children ask you did you do absolutely everything in your power to stop the Climate Crisis when the storms are getting worse and we are seeing all the effects of the Climate Crisis and they ask you did you do everything . Can you really look them in the eye and say no. Sorry, i couldnt do anything because that country over there didnt do anything so if they are not going to do it than im not. That is shameful and that is cowardly. And there is no excuse to not take action, to not improve as much as we can in the United States, and how can we call ourselves the city on a hill if be an example for the world if we are going to be cowards and hide behind waiting for other people saying that im not going to do this because they didnt. I want you to think about this is all about being able to look your children in the eye and say i did absolutely everything i could for you. I know that we are up against a lot of pressure. I know that the time is running out. However you call your kids, i did everything i could. I just dont understand as a parent how can you look your kid in the eye and say, there is this impending crisis. Everything is at stake. But i stood back and i didnt really do anything. I didnt take action. I didnt act like it was an emergency because our neighbors over there werent doing it. Im just not going to. How can you tell your children hat . It chair castor ms. Thunberg. Ms. Thunberg i just i dont need to add anything but just another peck spective. I am from sweden. A small country. And there it is the same argument. Why should we do anything. Just look at the u. S. , they say. Just so you know. That is being used against you as well. Gs chair keating the chair recognizes representative miller. Mrs. Miller thank you to chairman cast, Ranking Member grambs, and chairman keating and Ranking Member kinzinger for hosting us today. I want to say a very special thank you to all of you for being here today. And for caring so much about our earth. Throughout our work on this committee i have long said that any recommendations that the select committee on the Climate Crisis makes must ensure that we provide for innovation and not taxation. Solutions should work to reduce our Carbon Footprint, but not come at the detriment of increased costs for consumers. Mr. Backer, i want to thank you for your leadership and your candor. We all must do whatever we can and do our part to take care of our beautiful world. In your testimony you discussed how we cannot regulate our way out of Climate Change. What are some of the way that is we can better utilize technology and increase innovation . Mr. Backer thank you. If we really want to focus on reducing emission, which i think we all agree is the end goal that we are talking about here today, it needs to be about the results and the results can come from innovation like you are alluding to. If you look at the technologies that we can have around carbon capture, taking Carbon Emissions out of the air from fossil fuel emitting plants and being able to put that into the earth or use it for another type of product, or you look at the shifts in the transportation sector to transition to cleaner cars and cleaner technologies, thats the example of things that we can do across the globe and continue innovating because innovation like i mentioned in my testimony is something that we can export to other countries very, very easily. It creates jobs, its more efficient, and it ends up helping the economy. A great example of this is 194 of the Worlds Largest companies have pledged to go 100 renewable by 2030, 2040, or sooner than that. They are doing that because its more cheap, its more efficient, and it helps their consumers. Its done that because of innovation. If we put regulations on different industries, we are not going to be solving the problem. We need to work on decarbonizing fossil fuels and reducing emissions now. We cant do that with regulation. We can only do that through innovation. We need to innovation our way out of the Climate Change problem. Mrs. Miller thank you. Yield back my time. Chair keating vice chairman. Thank you very much. I hold your commitment to fighting for the clite mat and grateful to the attention you are bringing to these issues. Miss thunberg, in your speech to the u. S. Secretarygeneral on Climate Change you said we are facing an exy tension threat, and i agree. The Scientific Consensus is clear, Climate Change is real. Its effects including changes to rainfall and farmers growing seasons, Sea Level Rise along our coasts and exacerbation of conflicts abroad are a threat to us all. Ms. Spanberger our Intelligence Community and two former secretaries of defense have cited Climate Change as the root cause and driver of instability and Global Threats making it not just a moral imperative but a National Security imperative as well. Im curious in your travels as an activist and advocate, have you heard stories or have you engaged with those who are focused on the issues of how Climate Change and the instability it causes internationally are impacting Security Issues and how those might impact our future generations . Ms. Thunberg i have, of course, met many people who have experienced environmental and planet related disasters and who try to help people to come back from that. I havent been meeting so much with people who have told me stories about it being a National Security set because i think we havent had enough time to do that. There are so many people to meet and so many stories to hear. I cant listen to them all. I imagine maybe one of the others have. Maybe then you should talk to someone who is an expert in that area. Miss sparnberger you mentioned art from the miss sparnberger you mentioned to many others. Could you perhaps give a couple of examples just for the committee to hear of the stories you have heard . Ms. Thunberg yes, i have met people who whose communities were simply whose neighborhoods were destroyed by natural disasters, who were amplified by the Climate Crisis. I have met people whose food and water supply is being threatened by environmental or climate related catastrophes. And its just its so sad that i its so incredibly many people, so incredibly many examples that is just horrible because so many who have experienced this, and so many who are suffering from this today. We are already seeing the consequences unacceptable consequences of this today and it will only get worse the longer we delay action unless we start to act now. Ms. Spanberger thank you very much. I would also like to add ms. Margolin i would like to acknowledge we have some amazon protectors in the room right now who are fighting to protect the amazon rainforest. And that is a place in the world where people are gravely suffering. Not from Climate Change itself, but from the causes of the Climate Crisis. The Animal Agriculture industry and the collusion of the Animal Agriculture industry with the governments of brazil and other countries that would rather make a shortterm profit than protect the lungs of our planet, the amazon rainforest is the lungs of our planet, thats why we are seeing these massive fires and its protectors like the ones here sitting who have been fighting literally putting their bodies on the line and suffering from these fires. I dont want to speak for them because i dont know their stories but i encourage you to talk to them later. But i think its very important as we speak from an American Perspective we also realize that the climate drycies is global and even though maybe Climate Crisis is global and even though maybedifferent latin american roots. But even if you dont have those roots in latin america, the amazon rainforest is the lungs of our planet. We must unite with the indigenous activists and latin america and listen to them and give them a platform and not perpetuate the same systems of oppression that have been pushing them down. I dont want to speak for this and i dont think you have anything to add, but its the same systems of oppression causing the Climate Crisis that are making people feel the worst effects to add to something that i heard earlier, i just want to say real quick, i realize my time is running out, Albert Einstein defined insanity trying to solve the issue with the same thing that caused it. Something thats disturbed me a lot is seeiait were trying to colonize and buy and sell our way out of a problem caused by colonization and buying and selling. Miss span force ms. Spanberger thank you, i yield back. I dont have any prepared notes. I was sitting there thinking in 1977 i was confronted with a problem. I was my father used to grow matos mr. Chairman, i appreciate you and the vice chairman, everybody for allowing us to be here. I meant to do the protocol first. Mr. Burr shut my father use mr. Burchett my father used to grow these tomatos. He would put about 20 in chemicals and nasty stuff. And nasty stuff. I thought to myself im putting that stuff in my body and thought theres got to be a better solution. I stopped its called k. U. B. , they used to cut all the trees glowing on the power lines and grind them up, usually about 6 00 in the morning and wake us up. I stopped and asked one of those guys, i said, what do you do with that stuff . You got to realize this is 1977, ok. I was in between my seventh and eighth grade years. He said, we take it to the land phil. I said how much do they pay you for it . They said we dont. We pay them to take t so the wheels started turning in my head and at that point i became a capitalist. I realized that there was money to be made. You could save the environment. At that time it saved about 25 of the land phil space in our community. I got into that business. I want i realized now that of our trash strain about 85 of that is compostable. It does not have to go into the land phil. When it goes into the land phil, everybody just thinks a lot of people thinks it goes away. It doesnt go away. It creates all kinds of bad things for the environment. The gases, one of those feared gases is methane when something dedeposes in the absence of oxygen. If we could compost those things. 85 of that waste stream could be turned back into the soil and could be utilized in a capitalist manner. You wonder about capitalism. I had the opportunity, sitting there with a. O. C. , i was pitching to her capitalism. I dont know if it caught on with her or not, but my point was this, i said, you want to do away with airplanes. Well, airplane engines that put out gases that are harmful to the environment. And i said, m. I. T. Right now has an airplane engine that has no moving parts and allegedly puts nothing harmful into the environment. No moving parts. To me thats buck rogers. I got on youtube and watched the video. You could probably understand it but my 55yearold brain just doesnt understand it. Its fascinating to me. Granted, all it did was fly a glider about the length of a football field. I got to thinking, this little cell phone right here, 20 years ago, according to my friend at Oak Ridge National laboratory, was 100 million computer. 20 years ago. Capitalism brought this, now everybody basically has a television studio, can get all the information in the world, can contact anybody in the world for about, dont know about 100 bucks a month, its a good deal. That was through capitalism. I would encourage youall to explore that. Economy. M of our i have a piece of legislation, and i would encourage youall, i would like to hear from each one of youall, what you think about it. Its called carbon capture. Its a capitalist view of capturing carbon and utilizing it. Its House Resolution 3861. I would encourage youall, not now, look it up, get on your little computers. You know how to use them better than i do. Somebody will show me when i get your email and encourage you to read that and see what it is. I applaud youall for being here. I applaud your enthusiasm. Im incredibly proud that you are this concerned about our environment and our world. Thank youall so much for being here. Mr. Chairman, i yield back the remainder of my 55 seconds. Chair keating thank you. Representative lujan. Mr. Lujan thank you very much, mr. Chairman. To all the chairs and Ranking Members for bringing us together today. For the panelists who are witnesses who are here with us today. I want to thank you as well. Before i begin my questions, though, i just want to remind my colleagues that those mobile phones that were once too big or desktop that weighed thousands of pounds, they got smaller because of federal taxpayer investment by the United States of america investing in the research. I hope that theres an openness and willingness that we take the same step. Put our money where our mouth is. Make sure we are investing those dollars and answering this call. Ms. Thunberg, i appreciate the power of your testimony. You laid it out in a document right in front of us. A document where expts and scientists have laid out the path in the road for the world to take policy action. Its simple. The works been done for us. We just have to follow that path. I want to thank you for that. I dont want to have to defend one of my colleagues as well. She can defend herself as we all know. Congresswoman cortez congresswoman Alexandra Cortez has not said she wants to stop air travel. Her policies have said lets do better. Lets act. I think that thats what we are here to do. I apologize i took a little bit of my time to respond to some of the statements said earlier, but i thought it was posh. Miss thunberg, when i was your age, there was a concentration of co2 in the atmosphere was 350 parts per million. This year we eclipsed 415 parts per million. Ill try to make sense out of this. What many scientists have said is that we only can get to 430 parts per million to get to an increase of 1. 5 degrees or hold 1. 5 degree increase f we get to 450 parts per million, again we are at 415 already, that gets us to 2 degrees. Let me share what that means. With 1. 5 degrees, 14 of the global population will face extreme heat. At 2 , its 37 . At 1. 5 degrees we will see an ice free arctic once every 100 years. At 2 degrees we see it every 10 years. At 1. 5 degrees our fisheries decline by 1. 5 million tons, and our coral reefs decline by at least 70 . At two degrees our fisheries will decline by twice that, and well lose 99 of our coral reefs. We see the difference between what is devastating and what is even beyond it what devastating can even be described as. Miss thuneberg, the science could not be more clear, if we wait the Climate Crisis will only be more devastating. Just a year ago you were protesting outside the swedish parliament. Now you are part of an International Coalition of young people demanding action. I asked a few students that i have the honor of working with in new mexico, one responded. Her name is marina weber stevens, one of the founding members of the Global Warming express. Anyone thats interested can find them at the Global Warming express dotorg. She asked a very important question but one i think you have an answer to. Its this. What is the best way to get the Younger Generation, teens and students involved in advocacy to address the Climate Crisis. I would add to that, adults. What can we be doing . How can we get more young people involved . Ms. Thunberg how we can get more young people involved. I think to just tell them the truth. Tell them how it is. And because when i found out how it actually was, that made me furious. I wanted to do something about it. That is the at least i have spoken to many and i think that is the experience many others have because as it is now people in general dont seem to be very aware of the actual science and the how severe this crisis actually is. I just think we need to inform them and start treating this crisis like the exy tension emergency it is. Then i think people will understand and want to do something about it. Mr. Lujan thats powerful. Tell them the truth. With that i yield back. Chair keating mr. Carter. Mr. Carter thank you, mr. Chairman. Let me begin by thanking all four of you for being here. I cannot tell you how much this build up my confidence in the Younger Generation having you involved in this. Its extremely important that you be involved in the process. I applaud you for being here. I thank you for being here. I want to start with you, mr. Backer, its really good to see someone who is interested in such an important project, such an important topic, i should say. And also who understands that we need to factor in the economy in this. And the Economic Impact that Something Like this could have. Do you think that the state of our economy and the need to maintain a robust economy because after all you are all going to be participating in our economy in a way you already are, but in the future you will be even more, its important that we have a robust economy so that well be able to provide jobs for young people and for all of our citizens. But do you think its important to consider that when we are considering Climate Change . Mr. Backer thank you, mr. Carter. Also thank you for being a member of the conservation caucus. Its the caucus started by republicans bringing conservatives back to discussions. Its a major step forward. Thank you. The economy definitely need to be a part of this conversation because if we dont take the economy into consideration, we are leaving the people who are at the most risk we are keeping them at the most risk. We are allowing people who are in the lower poverty levels to be affected the most by our policies. There is an opportunity, a strong opportunity, to be economically sensible and environmentally sensible. Economic sustainability and environmental sustainability do go hand in hand. I think a lot of people who are on this issue and believe that this is a topic thats of importance believe that the agricultural industry, corporations, and fossil fuels are a lot of the times the enemy. But they are part of our society and they are today and they will be for the next at least forhe short term f we want lower emissions and want to have a cleaner economy, we have to work with people instead of against people. Because the only way we are going to truly reduce emissions is to do that. That is true with commit. We cant have a strong environment without a strong economy. And the worldwide statistics show as i mentioned earlier that the most free economies are the cleanest in the world. Does that mean they are done and dont have to do more . Not in the slightest. But economic success and environmental success go hand in hand. Mr. Carter if i could, ill let in you a second. I want to show you something on the screen if we can get it up. Its a chart that the e. P. A. You want me to hold it up. Ok. Ok. You going to be able to get this . Unfortunately you cant see it very well. But it is a chart that the e. P. A. Put out in 2018 and it shows the growth of our economy since 1970. The United States has actually grown our economy, our Gross Domestic Product has grown almost 300 . Our vehicles miles travel has grown almost 200 . Population has grown. Energy consumption has grown. Pu our carbon output has decreased over that period of time. It is possible to do. We can grow our economy and decrease our carbon output. We have done that since 1970. In fact, if you look we have actually decreased six common pollutants almost 100 since 1970. While growing our economy. It can be done. One thing i want to make sure we understand is that, look, listen to me, this is not a republicandemocratic issue. This is an american issue. This is a world issue. Its not United States versus china versus india. All of us have to work on this together. I have always i believe in Climate Change. I believe the climates been changing since day one. Im old enough to remember, youre not, but im old enough to remember the early 1970s when we thought we were headed for another ice age. Well, does man have an impact on that . Yes. We do have an impact. How much, that might be debatable. However, we should do something. Thats one of the things that im so excited about. Mr. Backer, you mentioned this about the opportunities that exist here. Because i have always said we have to have three things. We have to have innovation. We have to have mitigion. And we have got to have adaptation. And that innovation, the greatest innovators, the greatest scientists in the world are right here in the United States of america. Thats why im excited about us leading the way. I think we can lead the way. Yes, weve got much to be done. There is no question about that. You also mentioned about agriculture. I represent a very rural area in south georgia. The Rural Community is going to play a big part in this. We cannot leave them behind. That is going to be very important as well. We have to be very careful. My message is simple, and that is that, yes, this is something we have to deal with but we cant destroy our economy when we are dealing with it. We have to keep that in mind. We have to have affordable, reliable, clean energy. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I yield back. Chair keating thank you. As we said before we have a hard stop. So heres what i want to just do in closing. Closing statements to allow whatever time is limited. I do want to recognize representative brownley, who has been here paying great attention throughout the whole hearing. Representative levin, representative tie turks representative omar in the case we may not have the opportunity because you do have to leave. Ill now recognize representative meeks. Mr. Meeks thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you for this very, very timely and important hearing. Climate change is undoubtedly an economic threat. Thats true. A National Security threat. Thats true. And ultimately and most portantly, an exy tension excy tension set. It has set our forest ablaze. In mire home state, mr. Barretts home state of new york, Superstorm Sandy destroyed the property and uprooted the lives of thousands of new yorkers. Including many living in my district. Left if left unabated, Climate Change will displace well populations, islands. Mr. Barrett, youre correct. Well be gone. The people. And it will continue to wreak havoc on our own, costing billions in damage. Thats economics if we are not prepared. It will be billions of dollars. That will cause economic damage if we dont do something about Climate Change. It will also, Climate Change, threatens to undo the last 50 years of progress in development, in global health, and poverty reduction. Weve got to do something. Rgently. The world we leave behind, and we all whole this world in trust for the next generation, so i look at it the world that i leave behind for my new baby granddaughter will look dramatically different if we do nothing today. Indeed, a drastic reduction in our Carbon Footprint will be one of if not the most Important Missions of our time. Ms. O want to say, i heard march goalin say this a number of ms. Margolin a number of times. I want to let you know Anxiety Research indeed shows that young people have high levels of anxiety. It isnt just because of Climate Change. Everything from the economics to health disparities, to course oans, etc. , of Climate Change is compounding that problem. But what you are doing by being does make a ng difference. And i just use the example of e of my colleagues who at 16 years old helped change and shape a nation. His name was john lewis. He put his life on the line. He had a lot of anxiety if you talk to him. Where by doing this with that anxiety and turning that anxiety into something that you e going to lead to change it makes the world a better place for all of us. I compliment you on how youall are using your anxiety to make a difference in the world. That is something that is so important. Indeed, yes, all young folks. Im old enough to remember the Civil Rights Movement when it was led by sdents and High School Students who said im sick and tired of being sick and tired. And they changed things. So believe this, that each and every one of you, mr. Backer, i have been listening to you, you are part of a change thats going to make us all better. Make this nation and this world better. One of the things well fight back and forth, but guess what . I still bet on america. Well go through some of the bad times because lord knows i have seen bad times, and i have seen this us come through t i want to say to each and every one of you, dont give up on america. Because what america is all about is that if we stand up and fight, if we stand up for what we believe in, we will change things. It does make a difference. It is the reason why i can sit here, mr. Barrett, because i have seen my father go through some terrible times as a africanamerican, and then i saw barack obama become president of the United States. Not just for black folks. But for all folks. Keep up your work. You will make this place we call earth not only exist but thrive and be a better place. I yld back. Chair keating thank you. Thank you for your extraordinary testimony. It makes a difference t will make a difference. And by the way its bipartisan. Based on science. Thank you for being here. We are also want to thank representative costa who has been here, too as well. You stayed later than you agreed to. I know how hardpressed you are. If we could just ask those in the audience and the press, allow the witnesses to go to the ante room where we came in from so you can get to your next place more quickly. Please, remain seated. Allow the witnesses to go to the ante room so they can have expedited way back to the next meeting which they agreed to stay longer to hear our testimony. With that, i adjourn this hearing. Thank you. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Isit ncicap. Org] wrapping up this hearing at this point. If you missed any of our live coverage, youll have a Second Opportunity to see it tonight. Well have it for you at 8 00 eastern on our companion network cspan3. The u. S. House will be gaveling in for legislative work at noon eastern. We will have live coverage as members will begin work on a bill blocking forced arbitration in certain cases unless the parties in dispute agree to it. Final vote on that bill expected by the end of the week. Also this week, shortterm Spending Authority. While the house and senate find an agreement on federal spending for the rest of the year, current Spending Authority will run out at the end of this month. House Appropriations Committee chair nita lowey was asked about spending negotiations today. She told reporters, let me just say youre such lovely people but if i gave youall the answers we would be finished. Reports say negotiators are stuck over Health Care Program extensions and trade assistance payments for farmers. In the meantime, President Trump continues his prrg trip to california and tweeted the announcement this morning that hes named a National Security advisor who would replace john bolton who he fired last week. The new appointee is Robert Obrien who has been the u. S. Negotiator at the state department focusing on afghanistan and the middle east. President trump and First Lady Melania Trump will host a second state dinner of his administration. As he welcomes australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife jenny. Watch guests arrivals and dinner toast. Our live coverage begins friday at 6 30 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Online at cspan. Org. Or listen on the free cspan radio app. Cspan is back in des moines, iowa, this saturday for Live Campaign 2020 coverage of the polk countyemocrats annual steak fry. Watch the polk county, iowa steak fry live on cspan, cspan. Org, or listen live on the go using the free cspan radio app. Host here to talk abt security of the global oil , old newsbrian scheid Senior Editor for s p global platts. Thank you for being here. Guest thank you for having me. Host tell our viewers what exactly was struck in saudi arabia and how it impacted supply. Guest sure. Oil marketk ago, the was in a general malaise, there was an oversupply situation. There was not a lot happening with prices. It was a volatile market. A few weeks of stability, if you will, before the crisis. Then saturday morning, there is an attack on the ad qua