Boxer kicks off Senate hearing on global warming

"The central theme in Thomas Friedman's book "Hot, Flat and Crowded" is this: The nation that aggressively addresses the issue of climate change will be the nation that will thrive; the nation that will lead; and will be the nation that will prosper.

 

"In California, which has been one of the hardest hit by the housing crisis and the financial crisis, the area that has out-performed every other has been the creation of clean energy jobs and businesses.

"A recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that more than 10,000 new clean energy businesses were launched in California from 1998 to 2007.

 

"During that period, clean energy investments created more than 125,000 jobs and generated jobs 15 percent faster than the California economy as a whole.

"Our committee has held more than 40 hearings and briefings on global warming since I took over the chairmanship in January of 2007 and we are well aware of the work done on the dangers of global warming by the Bush and Obama Administrations.

 

"A few weeks ago, the Obama Administration released a sobering report on the impacts global warming is already having across the United States, and the devastating effects that will come in the future if we do not take action to cut global warming pollution.

"Droughts, floods, fires, loss of species, damage to agriculture, worsening air pollution and more."