Issue Position: Climate Crisis

Issue Position

Our planet is at stake, now more than ever, with the climate-change-denier-in-chief in the White House. That is why I have joined as a sponsor of the Green New Deal -- a resolution offering important broader goals, with the hope for continued work to implement its provisions into legislative language.

Normally, Texas weather is either hot or hotter. Increasingly, we just have hotter. By the turn of the century, Texas can expect about 100 days that reach 100 degrees or more annually -- what a world we are bequeathing to our children and grandchildren.

We need to act now at all levels to keep our world livable. That is why I introduced the Green Transportation Act, which directs cities and states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the United States. Because many parts of the country are not accounting for transportation emissions, this represents an important step in seeking to reduce pollution by mandating the tracking of emissions and creation of local plans to reduce them, while providing federal support.

If we want to change the climate, we need to change the political climate. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement was an historic mistake. A warming planet will overwhelm our Gulf Coast, expand the Sonoran desert into much of Texas, and hasten the spread of disease. We need an agenda governed by sound science that truly reflects the consequences of inaction. Together, and by reaching out to our neighbors, we must act now to create a sustainable, green economy, reduce carbon emissions, and increase renewable energy.

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