WASHINGTON (August 27, 2012) – The National Snow and Ice Data Center today announced that the extent of the Arctic’s sea ice had melted to record low levels, in yet another sign of global warming’s intensifying effects on the planet. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and co-author of the only climate bill to pass a chamber of Congress, today called on Republican leadership to end their opposition to limits on the pollution that is increasing temperatures across the globe.

“This shocking melt of the Arctic ice cap is yet another reminder that we are running out of time to head off the worst consequences of climate change. The political opposition to limits on global warming pollution should thaw, and Congress must turn its attention back to creating effective solutions to cut carbon pollution and promote clean energy.

“Republicans blocked legislation that would put a cap on the pollution that is warming the planet, and now we are losing more of our Arctic ice cap just a few years later. Drought is devastating the United States, a hurricane is bearing down on the Gulf, and we have just experienced the hottest 12 months in the United States in recorded history. The time for climate action is now.”
 
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