October 12, 2007

Lantos Lauds Nobel Laureates Al Gore and United Nations Authorities on Climate Change

Washington, DC – Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, released the following statement on the announcement today of the winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize:

"Over the last several years, Vice President Al Gore has had breath-taking success in raising our nation’s consciousness of the threat posed by global warming. During a time of an unprecedented void in moral leadership from the top in this area, Al Gore set out on a courageous campaign to wake Americans up and to inspire them to action. Today, largely as a result of his foresight and perseverance, the people of this country are no longer willing to believe the lies of those who would have us continue 'business as usual' until our coastline begins to sink into the sea Congress, under Democratic leadership, is now demanding that the Administration take real action to combat this global threat.

 

“It is entirely fitting that our former vice president should share this unique honor with the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which achieved an overwhelming global scientific consensus firmly debunking the myth that the unprecedented recent rise in global temperatures could be explained by natural variations in climate alone.”

Earlier this year, Lantos authored the International Climate Cooperation Re-engagement Act (H.R. 2420), which passed the House this summer as part of Speaker Pelosi's energy bill. It requires the United States to re-engage in the worldwide effort to reach a new, binding treaty to limit global greenhouse gas emissions to avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.