Though likely impossible to find anyone in the climate justice or environmental community to say that any sitting U.S. senator—Republican or Democrat—has been an adequate leader on the issue of global warming, 28 Democrats (and two Independents) were garnering soft applause for their overnight effort on Monday into Tuesday as they pulled an all night session focused exclusively on climate change.
The most striking element separating those who participated and those who stayed home: the volume of campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry. The numbers support those who have long said the real villain in the fight against climate change is the fossil fuel industry, which uses its deep pockets to control the debate in Washington, bankroll industry-friendly politicians, and fund climate denialism in the American population.
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“It’s an absolute tragedy that climate denial is still an acceptable political position to some in Washington,” said Jason Kowalski, policy director for 350.org, “but I think it’s a sign of the times that over a quarter of the U.S. Senate is prepared to side with the people over the polluters tonight.”
The message is a simple one, said Hawaii’s freshman Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat who organized the event: “We’re not going to rest until Congress acts on the most pressing issue of our time.”
More publicity stunt than legislative maneuver, participating senators gave speeches about the impact on global warming for future generations and the economic costs of doing nothing. They warned colleagues on the other side of the aisle that history would judge them harshly for their continued denialism despite overwhelming scientific consensus on planet warming.
Many prominent Democrats, especially those with upcoming reelection campaigns or those from states with strong ties to the fossil fuel industry were notably absent from the night’s proceedings. As the Guardian pointed out, those no-shows included: “Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska and Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, who both represent oil-rich states. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, who is facing re-election this year is also sitting this one out.”
Revealingly, the Huffington Post‘s Paul Blumenthal looked at campaign records for the 30 senators who joined the effort versus the 70 who sat out and reports:
The following senators, however, did participate: Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Patty Murray, (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Barbara Boxer, (D-Calif.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
Both the Huffington Post and the Guardian live-blogged portions of the night and Twitter tracked statements and popular reactions across the web using the #Up4Climate:
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