SOUTH CAROLINA - US President Joe Biden on July 2 called denying the effects of climate change “really, really dumb” and said that extreme heat and other weather disasters fuelled by rising global temperatures have cost billions of dollars and thousands of American lives.
Mr Biden spoke at the District of Columbia’s emergency operations centre, where he and Cabinet officials were briefed on extreme weather developments across the country. His remarks were some of the most forceful he has given on climate change, and he used the moment to denounce Republican lawmakers who oppose his policies.
“Anyone who wilfully denies the impacts of climate change is condemning the American people to a dangerous future and either is really, really dumb or has some other motive,” he added. The proposed regulation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, if implemented, would, for the first time, require employers to monitor workers and provide rest areas and water when the heat index reaches 26.7 deg C or higher.