WASHINGTON, DC—Ranking Member Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and senior Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement on the final report from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which concluded that nearly all global warming seen since the 1950s is man-made.

“The latest and most comprehensive report from the world’s foremost climate scientists makes it abundantly clear, yet again, that humans are behind mounting greenhouse gas emissions that are warming our planet. By ignoring the science that is so clearly and persuasively set forth in this report, we are saddling future generations with unimaginable and possibly irreversible problems.

“We are already experiencing climate change’s devastating impacts. Droughts and heat waves are more frequent. Storms like Hurricane Sandy are more deadly and costly. The polar ice caps are melting and our oceans are more acidic. And if we fail to change course, these problems are only going to become more severe. Scientists tell us that the flooding of major cities and entire island nations is likely, and that it will lead to food shortages and refugee crises unlike anything the world has experienced. We should take their analysis seriously.

“We must intensify our efforts to develop renewable energy technologies to replace energy sources that cause global warming. Our innovators have the ability to set the world on a low-emissions path, and our governments have an obligation to encourage them. The time to act is now.”

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Read the UN Report Here