Dem Rep. Blames Global Warming for a Canal Almost Overflowing in Hawaii

‘We are seeing the impacts of climate change across the planet as a threat multiplier’

RUSH EXCERPT:

SCHATZ: “There are three reasons to stay in the climate accords. First of all, this is the United States keeping true to commitments. It was the last administration that assembled the biggest group of heads of state in the history of the world in Paris to come together on the biggest environmental agreement in history. This was a first important step towards agreement in a carbon free economy. So us withdrawing from it sends terrible geo-political signals. It sends signals that we’re not going to stay true to our word. And so whether or not you care about climate, whether or not you’re a clean energy add vericate, I think there are realist in the foreign policy space who are close to the president, certainly lofts Republicans with whom I disagree on the climate question who are saying, look, we made this deal. We orchestrated this deal. It is important that united States stay true to its word. The second reason is of course that climate change really is the challenge of our generation. We are seeing the impacts of climate change across the planet as a threat multiplier. In the defense space. As something that is causing diminished agricultural and fishery returns. As something that is causing increased natural disasters. We had a king tide in the state of Hawaii over this weekend and the canal that prevent the Waikiki area from flooding was 6 to 12 inches from overflowing and there was no rain. No rain. We almost had a flooding event because of the tide. It is our moral obligation, as what secretary Madeleine Albright used to call the united States the indispensable nation to take care of these issues. And finally one point, if the president vacates the climate agreement, he will have lost a whole generation, maybe several generations of voters for the Republican Party. There are young conservatives out there trying to find a home in the Republican Party but if they are going to be wrong on the Muslim ban, if they are wrong on gay rights, if they are wrong on reproductive right and going to be wrong on climate, there are going to be very, very few young people who remain loyal to the Republican Party and so for those three reasons I think it’s essential that president comes to the right conclusion. Knowing his decision-making process, I’m not paying very much attention to the reporting. I think there are going to be rumors up until the end but I think in the end some of the more pragmatic voices in the foreign policy space hopefully will win out.”

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