United States Senator Bernie Sanders has been fighting for common sense environmental protection since his election to the House of Representatives in 1990.  His consistent, tireless advocacy for progressive environmental policies – policies he believes can create job opportunities and economic growth – has earned him high honors over the years.  His Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act sets the standard for mitigating climate change on the level that science demands.  More specifically, the bill would reduce carbon dioxide levels to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, thereby making the United States carry its share of the cuts called for by the international scientific community, rather than just doing half measures proposed by industry.  

Senator Sanders has had a long career in politics, winning the election in 1981 for mayor of Burlington, VT, where he served four terms.  Sanders held Vermont’s US House seat from 1990 until his 2006 election to the Senate.  During that time, he consistently voted against authorizations for use of force in Iraq and opposed the undermining of civil liberties.  He currently serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Budget; Environment and Public Works; Veterans' Affairs; and Energy and Natural Resources Senate Committees, and represents one of only two independents in that body, although he caucuses with the Democratic party. 

We are greatly pleased that Senator Sanders will share his valuable insights into climate change and environmentally responsible policy.   Few current leaders have embraced this unpopular issue with the realism and courage demonstrated by Bernie Sanders, and we are thrilled that he has agreed to speak at the NAELS conference.  We hope that you, the conference attendee, will help us demonstrate to the Senator the reality of a growing public commitment to tackling the defining crisis of our generation. 

For more information on our Keynote Speaker:

Senator Bernie Sanders