Climate Crisis Committee To Hold Hearing on Tuesday

The Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a special hearing on Tuesday entitled, “Better, Stronger, Smarter: Building Community Resilience in a Future of Extremes.”

The special committee, which is chaired by US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and is affiliated with the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, will hear from local officials and experts on how action can be taken now to help communities rebuild after severe weather to be more resilient and better withstand future disasters.

Organizers say, “Natural disasters associated with climate change are already increasing costs for local governments, particularly for rebuilding infrastructure. Repeated rebuilding is not financially sustainable, so designing with resiliency in mind is essential as severe weather becomes more frequent and more intense. Communities must have resources and guidance to make proactive investments in the resilience of their community and rebuild more effectively.”

The hearing begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 10 on Capitol Hill.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will lead a hearing with witnesses to include:

• Alice Hill, Senior Fellow for Climate Change Policy, Council on Foreign Relations
• Laura Lightbody, Project Director, Pew Charitable Trusts Flood-Prepared Communities
• Tim Kabat, Mayor, La Crosse, Wisconsin

Live video of the hearing will be available here.

Haleakalā climate change. Photo by Wendy Osher.