The US Senate has voted overwhelmingly in agreement that climate change is real, with a staggering 98 votes to 1. All that remains is for them to agree on the cause.
The vote, Circa reports, was a non-binding amendment, to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline bill, which declares that climate change is “not a hoax”. Surprisingly, senators who had previously spoken out to declare that climate change wasn’t a thing — such as James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) — even voted in support. The single no vote came from Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi).
However, a second non-binding amendment, which laid the blame for climate change at the feet of human kind, failed to pass. Despite unexpected Republican support, the amendment failed to secure the 60 votes required to pass. So as far as the Senate is concerned, climate change is real — it just can’t decide what’s causing it.
Still, as senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) noted, the result is “a small victory, but an important one.” Clearly, the attitude of deniers is softening, at least slightly, in the face of scientific evidence and public opinion. There’s hope yet.
Picture: davedehetre /Flickr