Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said a new report out today from NOAA and NASA showing that 2014 was the warmest on record highlights the need to focus on cutting back on global warming pollution.
"It may not feel like global warming on a day like today, but this report makes it clear the planet is warming. It's another piece of evidence that climate change is real, it's happening now and we should be long past the point where politicians are debating whether it really exists," Pingree said. "A coastal state like Maine is particularly vulnerable to the effects of warming ocean temperatures and rising sea levels. Our economy is dependent on our coastal resources and climate change threatens those resources."
According to the report, during 2014 the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.24°F above the 20th Century average. This was the highest among all years in the 1880-2014 record, surpassing the previous records of 2005 and 2010. Also, the globally-averaged sea surface temperature was 1.03°F above the 20th century average. This was the highest among all years in the 1880-2014 record, surpassing the previous records of 1998 and 2003.
Pingree has been a strong supporter of the clean energy industry, saying itwill help our economy and help reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
"The wind industry has already created 1,500 jobs in Maine and by growing that sector and developing more tidal and solar power we cancreate new sources of clean energy, new jobs and reduce global warming pollution all at once," Pingree said.
