Climate Action Now Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Chairman, I am offering an amendment today to provide a pathway for the curriculum in our elementary and secondary schools to include information on the impacts of climate change. Eighty percent of parents and 86 percent of teachers believe that schools should teach about climate change and its impacts on our environment, our economy, and our society.

As our future generations grow up in a world that is impacted by extreme weather events and a changing climate, it is essential that we educate them on the causes and impacts of the crisis, as well as equip them for finding solutions to combat it.

Climate change truly is an existential threat, in my view, that we must begin tackling head-on. Science is perfectly clear that we have a very short runway to avoid catastrophic consequences for our planet, and this moment requires bold action now. The solutions we find and the bold policies that our country requires to combat this current crisis must begin with education.

While it is our duty to get the ball rolling on policies and programs that will begin to mitigate climate change-related issues, make no mistake: It is our children who will feel the brunt of the effects that our scientific community has outlined time and time again.

When my daughter, Natalie, who is now 8 months old, is attending middle school, climate change and its impacts on our planet will be her reality. She should be equipped with every resource we are able to offer her at that time, and that begins with education.

This amendment underscores the importance of State and local efforts to teach our youth the causes and effects of climate change. Again, the science is clear, and it is of the utmost importance that the next generation is presented with the facts of this crisis.

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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Chairman, I again thank the chairman for his distinguished leadership in chairing the Foreign Affairs full committee and for his leadership in shepherding this important resolution to the floor.

Mr. Chairman, I would hope that my colleagues across the aisle could come to consensus on this amendment. I think it is a commonsense, reasonable amendment that ensures that our children, the next generation, are, as I said, well-informed about the causes and the effects of climate change so that they can work with all of us to try to stop it and to try to deal with the planetary crisis that we find ourselves in.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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