SEEC Praises the National Academies of Sciences Attribution of Extreme Weather and Climate Report

Washington, D.C. – The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin, and Chellie Pingree, released the following statement after the publication of the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) report titled “Attribution of Extreme Weather and Climate Events and their Impacts” that highlights the scientific evidence behind the linkages between extreme weather events and human-caused climate change. 

“Today, the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) released a landmark assessment that affirms more than a decade of peer-reviewed research validating extreme-event attribution science. Our scientists can accurately demonstrate the connection between individual weather disasters and human-driven climate change, as well as the real-world consequences these events have on our families, communities, and economy. The evidence is overwhelming; climate change is driven by fossil fuel pollution, and its impacts are accelerating toward more dangerous extremes. 

“The NAS report highlights scientific facts and evidence that build upon what the fossil fuel industry has known since the 1950s: that burning fossil fuels would lead to global warming and a changing climate. Yet, these polluters continue to downplay and distort the scientific evidence surrounding climate change and its associated harms. Adding fuel to the fire, the Trump Administration is silencing our very own federal scientists and covering up national climate data in order to give the fossil fuel industry a get-out-of-jail-free card for its role in the climate crisis. 

“This new report is a reminder that political attacks on climate change do not change the overwhelming scientific evidence. We at SEEC will always put science first.”