Buttigieg: ‘There’s no time to argue’ over climate change

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the debate over whether climate change exists needs to stop, saying “there’s no time to argue about whether it’s real — it’s happening, and it’s incredibly dangerous.”

Buttigieg was asked during an interview on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday how his department is addressing climate change amid record-setting heat in the Pacific Northwest.

“We’ve got to do two things. One, we’ve got to make our infrastructure more resilient, because this is going to keep happening. So, we’ve got to make sure that our roads and our bridges are designed for rising sea levels and more heat waves,” Buttigieg said.

“But the second thing we got to do — we’ve got to stop it from getting any worse. That’s why it’s important to make sure that we help Americans afford and drive electric vehicles. It’s why we have to make sure we have alternatives like transit and make sure it’s easier for people to get around without having to bring a vehicle sometimes, depending on where you’re going,” he added.

Experts have warned about climate change compounding extreme weather events, such as the heat wave currently gripping cities including Seattle, which recorded a record of 108 degrees on Monday.

Many factors are at play in the latest heat wave, weather experts told The Hill, though they said climate change is likely adding several extra degrees.

Buttigieg mentioned in his interview the serious effects of the heat wave on infrastructure, noting that transportation infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest was starting to falter. 

In the Seattle area, pavement on Interstate 5 began to buckle on Monday, leading some lanes to close. In Portland, light rail and streetcar services were halted for several days because of the extreme heat.