Senator Presents His 125th Consecutive Climate Change Speech

Text excerpted from the book: PROTECTING THE PLANET-Environmental Champions from Conservation to Climate Change (ISBN 978-1-63388-225-6)

by

Budd Titlow & Mariah Tinger

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG98CCWF / http://www.buddtitlow.com

When it comes to Climate Change dedication on the legislative scene, no one can beat Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.  On January 27, 2016, for the 125^th time since he took office, Senator Whitehouse prepared and presented a passionate plea for Congress to take action against Climate Change.  This time his speech had an upbeat twist—a call for Congress to approve the “Energy Policy Modernization Act”.

Although most of his presentations are in front of a nearly empty chamber, Senator Whitehouse refuses to give up.  A sign beside him during all of his presentations reads, “It’s Time to Wake Up!” His rationale is that he represents “The Ocean State”, a moniker that places a special onus on him as a representative of Rhode Island’s current and future populace.  The diligence shown by Senator Whitehouse is exactly what we need—in spades—to really make a difference on Climate Change policy at the federal level.

Sheldon Whitehouse—Congressional Leader

If you have been wondering if all the environmental heroes on Capitol Hill vanished with the passing of Teddy Kennedy, fear not friends.  A knight in shining armor has arrived and he is taking it to the resident posse of negative nabobs that currently block everything—colored with any shade of green—that has the temerity to invade the Senate Floor. 

For climate activists—or really anyone who truly thinks Climate Change is a problem—there is a lot to love about Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. The two-term Democratic Senator from Rhode Island has assumed the role of our Climate Change Champion in Congress. As he explains it, he has to remain vigilant to protect his constituents stating that “there’s a very good reason Rhode Island is called the ‘Ocean State’”. 

Just about everything that happens in Rhode Island is strongly influenced by either the Atlantic Ocean or Narragansett Bay.  This means that Climate Change is much more than a looming future catastrophe.  Senator Whitehouse knows that it’s happening right now throughout Rhode Island and low-lying portions of other coastal states.  Beaches, tidal flats, and coastal wetlands are being inundated.  Coastal birds and marine mammals are losing their nest sites and home territories and are being forced to relocate.  Fisherman are losing their breeding grounds and harvesting territories.  Homes and businesses are being undercut and tumbling into the water. 

For the past three years, Senator Whitehouse has been introducing legislation aimed at slowing the planet’s warming.  Plus, he has routinely been presenting Climate Change speeches on the Senate floor.  Unfortunately, very few of our erstwhile, duly-elected officials would be able to vouch for this fact. According to Agence France-Presse—an international news agency based in Paris—Whitehouse usually gives these speeches to an empty or near-empty chamber. But—certainly proving his mettle for the cause—he always displays a green sign while he’s talking.  This sign warns—no, more like yells at—his colleagues that it’s “Time To Wake Up.” 

Whitehouse’s May 18, 2015 Climate Change speech is especially informative and compelling.  Check it out and we guarantee that you’ll wonder how anyone could not be convinced that Climate Change is actually occurring and that humans are the cause!

On January 27, 2016, Senator Whitehouse marked his 125^th Climate Change presentation on the Senate floor.  Only this time there was a twist.  His message had an upbeat tone based on the ongoing debate over the Energy Policy Modernization Act (EPMA).

First noting that the EPMA may become our first comprehensive energy efficiency legislation since 2007, Whitehouse provided the following rationale for its passage: “The World Economic Forum released its ‘Global Risks Report 2016,’ which for the first time ranked an environmental risk—Climate Change—as the most severe economic risk facing the world. The report found that a failure to deal with and prepare for Climate Change is potentially [our] most costly risk over the next decade.”

Of course—to date—few of Whitehouse’s colleagues have taken his pleas for action to heart. How could you seriously consider something that you’ve never bothered to really consider?  More than 56 percent of Republicans in the 114th Congress deny or question that Climate Change exists and that it is being caused by humans. And some members of Congress—such as Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)—openly mock the idea that Climate Change is posing a problem at all.

Bernie Sanders and Sheldon Whitehouse are two of the Senate’s most dedicated climate change activists.

So far, none of this has deterred Whitehouse, in the slightest.  “If I look back 20 years from now and I can’t say I did everything possible, I’ll never be able to live with myself,” he told Morning Consult about his weekly speeches. All we can say about this is, “Good on you, Senator Whitehouse!” (What a great name if he decides to run for President some day!)  It is a major relief that someone up there on “The Hill” has the gumption to take a stand, even though it may not be politically expedient or a savvy incumbent choice.  Now if we could just find a few hundred more like him, we may get somewhere in solving this crisis in a timely manner!

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Author’s bio: For the past 50 years, professional ecologist and conservationist Budd Titlow has used his pen and camera to capture the awe and wonders of our natural world. His goal has always been to inspire others to both appreciate and enjoy what he sees. Now he has one main question: Can we save humankind’s place — within nature’s beauty — before it’s too late? Budd’s two latest award-winning books are dedicated to answering this perplexing dilemma. PROTECTING THE PLANET: Environmental Champions from Conservation to Climate Change, a non-fiction book, examines whether we still have the environmental heroes among us — harking back to such past heroes as Audubon, Hemenway, Muir, Douglas, Leopold, Brower, Carson, and Meadows — needed to accomplish this goal. Next, using fact-filled and entertaining story-telling, his latest book — COMING FULL CIRCLE: A Sweeping Saga of Conservation Stewardship Across America — provides the answers we all seek and need. Having published five books, more than 500 photo-essays, and 5,000 photographs, Budd Titlow lives with his music educator wife, Debby, in San Diego, California.