SAN DIEGO – Today, Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) and world-renowned climate scientist Dr. Ram Ramanathan responded to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) newest report on greenhouse gas levels. According to the report, 2021 had the largest year-on-year increase in methane concentrations in recorded history and carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise at a dangerous pace. 

“As daunting as these findings are, they provide an urgent reminder that our work to combat the climate crisis has just begun,” said Rep. Peters. “When I decided to run for Congress, I was prepared to find solutions to large-scale and complex problems like climate change. Now as I work with my colleagues on methane and other super pollutants, we know we have the solutions to reduce greenhouse gases from across our economy. We must double down to reduce pollution everywhere and maintain a healthy climate.”

“For too long, mitigation of methane emissions has taken a back seat in climate mitigation actions,” said Dr. Ramanathan. “This new data shows why we need to ramp up the efforts to drastically cut the emissions of these super heat trapping pollutants and bend the warming curve to buy society some time for adapting to projected weather/climate extremes.”

Rep. Peters and Dr. Ramanathan co-wrote a February 2021 San Diego Union-Tribune op-ed on ways to cut global warming in half. They have also participated together in congressional briefings on harmful, short-lived super pollutants in our atmosphere.

As world leaders prepare to convene for COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt next month, Rep. Peters looks forward to seeing firm commitments from around the globe to fight climate change.

In the 117^th Congress, Rep. Peters has successfully advanced several bills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In June 2021, President Biden signed a resolution introduced by Congressman Peters to reinstate methane emissions regulations. The historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included record funding for climate resilience and advanced clean technologies like hydrogen and carbon capture. It also included Rep. Peters’ POWER ON Act which will help speed the development of interstate transmission lines and expand renewable energy.

Finally, Rep. Peters helped secure significant climate wins in the Inflation Reduction Act including billions of dollars in new funding to monitor and reduce methane emissions at oil and gas facilities, and a new fee on methane pollution. Building on these critical steps, Rep. Peters has introduced several additional bills to combat the climate crisis including the METHANE ACT to curb dangerous methane emissions, and the Federal Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act to help deploy critical technologies that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.