### Remarks at July 2014 EPA hearing, Washington, DC Ryan Arnold- ry_a@hotmail.com Thanks forthe chance to speak here today. Climate change is a threat to national and global security, a threatto public health, and a threatto our economy, according to senior military leaders1

, the CDC2
, and financial leaders including former Treasury secretaries3

. A recent report from the American Association forthe Advancement of Sciente sums it up this way: "We are at risk of pushing our climate system toward abrupt, unpredictable, and potentially irreversible changes with highly damaging impacts
.... The soonerwe act, the lowerthe risk and cost."4 This is not news; I've been hearing most of it since I was in elementary school, in the eighties. 1am deeply disappointed that in all this time, our government, especially Congress, has done so little to solve this urgent problem. That'swhy the EPA's proposal to limit carbon pollution from power plants is a welcome piece ofgood news. I know thatwe can end our production ofgreenhouse gases and ensure a long and prosperous future. Whatworries me is that, although we've long had a scientific consensus on the causes and risks of climate change, we don't have political orsocial consensus. A recent Gallup poll found fewer than 60 percent ofAmericans even believe it's caused by human activitl. Considering the magnitude ofthe threats climate change poses, we should be able to come together and demand solutions. Lack of widespread agreement on the urgency oreven existence ofthe problem hinders ourability to enact comprehensive remedies, or even to follow through on the good solutions that are already being proposed and implemented6

. Sociologists tell us that the idea ofclimate change raises uncomfortable emotions, feelings offear, guilt, helplessness7

. Maybe denial or delay is a natural response. I once met a guy who agreed that climate change is a man-made problem but was convinced there's nothing we can do about it. They say a good strategy to overcome that kind ofdenial is to bring messages of hope: We can make a difference; we can ensure a brightfuture. I think one message we were hearing for a while, thatthe thing to do is change our light bulbs and keep ourtires inflated, wasn't really working, because we know the challenge is so much biggerthan whatwe can do as individuals. We need governmentto set fair rules and credible plans to get our emissions down so ourquality of life can stay up- that's what can give us hope, give us reason to believe we can face the unpleasant realities ofclimate change and succeed in preventing the serious threats. What I hope is thatthe EPA's plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can help spark discussion among Americans about climate change, which has been on the backburnerfor many of us fortoo long - and that those conversations lead to greater awareness and understanding, greater sense of urgency, and shared resolve to sustain ourway of life for a long time to come.
http:/!www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/us/politics/climate-change-deemed-growing-security-threat-by-militaryresearchers.html? r=O 2 http://www.cdc.goVtclimateandhealth/effects/default.htm 3 http:/!www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/former-treasury-secretaries-financial-leaders-press-business-to-cutclimate-change-risks/2014/06/23/72c88274-fb15-11e3-8176-f2c941cf35f1_story.html 4 http://whatweknow.aaas.org/get-the-facts/ 5 http://www.gallup.com/poll/167972/steady-blame-humans-global-warming.aspx 6 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28339663 7 http://sociology.uoregon.edu/faculty/norgaard/NorgaardWorldBank2009.pdf