Sanders Joins New Climate Action Task Force

Press Release

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 15 other senators held a Capitol Hill news conference today to announce the formation of a task force on climate change.

The first action by Senate Climate Action Task Force members will be to question why television network Sunday news programs have virtually ignored the issue of climate change. Sanders and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) are taking the lead on the issue.

A study by Media Matters for America reported that throughout 2012 the network programs devoted a total of 8 minutes to the issue of climate change.

"We have the scientific community telling us that climate change is the greatest crisis facing our planet and the major networks on their Sunday news shows have devoted all of 8 minutes to discussing that issue," Sanders said at the news conference.

"When I go back to Vermont people ask me what world the United States Congress is living in?" said Sanders. "They understand that the overwhelming majority of scientists agree that climate change is real, it is caused by human activity and it is causing devastating damage all over the world."

Sanders is a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee as well as the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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