Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke warned that parts of the Western hemisphere would be uninhabitable as a result of climate change.
“Wait until some parts of the Western Hemisphere can no longer support human life, because that’s exactly where we are headed unless we decide to change course now,” he said. “Ten years left to us … we do not have any room for error.”
O’Rourke commented on his perception of the threat posed by climate change during his appearance at the CNN town hall on the issue.
He said he drew his knowledge about the threat posed by climate change from the book Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, which warned of serious conflicts over resources in 2100.
O’Rourke warned of wars taking place as a result of climate change if the country did not address the problem in ten years.
“Scientists say at that point, we are screwed, we are not able to live in the places that we call home today,” he said.
O’Rourke also told a story about his eight-year-old son Henry, who was concerned about whether or not he would be able to live in El Paso, Texas in the future.
“He knew, because I had told him about the warming that we face, that our community will be uninhabitable, not sustain human life, along this current trajectory unless something dramatically changes,” he said.