With 2019 the second-hottest year ever, Democratic leadership must do magnitudes more to tackle climate crisis

January 15, 2020

WASHINGTON – Researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration released analyses today revealing that 2019 was the second hottest year on record, and the last decade was the warmest on record.

In response, Karen Orenstein, acting climate and energy director with Friends of the Earth U.S, issued the following statement:

The grim scientific data released today about the climate crisis paints a dire picture and underscores how Democratic leadership is failing on this issue.

Representative Pallone and Senator Carper are not taking this emergency seriously. They must do what climate science and justice require, not pander to political expediency. We need immediate, regulated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions starting today, not in 2040 or 2050. There is no room for false solutions like cap and trade and carbon capture and sequestration.

We just exited the warmest decade ever, and the planet’s alarm bells are not just ringing, they’re screaming. The United States must end its fossil fuel dependency and stop fanning the flames.

Contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, [email protected]