Laura: THE FIRST EARTH DAY IN THE UNITED STATES WAS  APRIL 22, 1970.

DURING THAT TIME, CONGRESS WAS  PASSING BIPARTISAN LAWS, LAWS RECKONING WITH DECADES OF  POLLUTION.

THESE ARE LAWS LIKE THE CLEAN  AIR AND WATER ACTS, NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT,  ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT.

TODAY LOOKING AROUND THE UNITED STATES AND LOOKING  AROUND NEW MEXICO WE SEE HOW THOSE LAWS ENACTED 50 YEARS  AGO HAVE MATTERED TO EACH OF US.

AS A SOCIETY WE SAW WHAT POLLUTION WAS DOING TO US, TO  THE ENVIRONMENT, TO FUTURE GENERATIONS AND WE KNEW WE HAD  TO DO SOMETHING.

OF COURSE, A LOT OF THINGS  HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE 1970'S, SOME FOR THE BETTER.

AND SOME, WELL, HERE IN NEW MEXICO ON AVERAGE IT IS ABOUT  THREE DEGREES WARMER THAN IT WAS.

OUR MOUNTAIN SNOW PACKS HAVE CHANGED.

OUR RIVERS FLOW WITH LESS WATER THAN THEY DID DECADES  AGO.

AND MANY OF OUR RESERVOIRS  CONTINUE TO BE FRIGHTENINGLY LOW YEAR AFTER YEAR.

NOT ONLY DO FIRES BURN BIGGER, FIRE SEASON IS LONGER.

AND OUR FORESTS OFTEN DON'T RECOVER AFTERWARDS.

JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON  CLIMATE CHANGE RELEASED YET ANOTHER ASSESSMENT.

WE KNOW WHY THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING.

WE HAVE PUMPED AND PUMPED FOSSIL FUELS OUT OF THE GROUND  AND GREEN HOUSE GASES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

THIS HAS WARMED OUR PLANET.

IT HAS WARMED OUR SOILS, OUR  FORESTS, OUR FARMLANDS.

SCIENTISTS KEEP TELLING US WE NEED TO CUT GREEN HOUSE GAS  EMISSIONS IMMEDIATELY AND DRASTICALLY.

SCIENTISTS, ALONG WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, PEOPLE  WITH DEEP TRADITIONAL AND ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, THEY ALL  KEEP TELLING US WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO CUT GREENHOUSE GAS  EMISSIONS TO MITIGATE THE WORST OF THE IMPACTS, TO ADAPT  TO THE CHANGES WE ALREADY SEE AND KNOW AND YET EVEN HERE IN  NEW MEXICO WHERE WE SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE  SO VERY CLEARLY, LAWMAKERS AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS ARE NOT  TRULY RECKONING, NOT JUST FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE,  BUT WITH OUR STATE'S ROLE IN CAUSING CLIMATE CHANGE.

ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, I INTERVIEWED RUSSELL TRAIN.

HE DIED IN 2012 BUT HE WAS THE NATION'S SECOND ADMINISTRATOR  OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WHICH WAS  CREATED IN 1970 THE YEAR OF THAT FIRST EARTH DAY.

WHEN I TALKED TO HIM, HE WAS 84 YEARS OLD.

I ASKED HIM THEN IN 2004 IF HE THOUGHT CONGRESS COULD STILL  PASS LAWS LIKE THE CLEAN WATER ACT, THE SAFE DRINKING WATER  ACT?

HE SAID THAT HE WASN'T SURE  NOT BECAUSE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WEREN'T STILL IMPORTANT  OR BECAUSE THE LAWS DIDN'T WORK.

NO.

HE   SAID THAT ONCE CONGRESS STARTED PASSING THOSE LAWS,  THE INDUSTRIES THEY THREATENED THAT WERE NOW BEING REGULATED  STARTED PAYING CLOSER ATTENTION TO POLITICS AND  STARTED SPENDING A LOT MORE MONEY.

TRAIN TOLD ME AT THE TIME THAT TEAM PLAYING WITH INDUSTRY  WASN'T NEW TO GOVERNMENT BUT HE HAD WATCHED IT CHANGE, HE  WATCHED HOW BUSINESS LOBBYISTS IN WASHINGTON D.C.

BECAME VERY  ORGANIZED WHEN IT CAME TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND WE KNOW THAT  IS EVEN MORE TRUE TODAY.

ACROSS THE U.S.

INCLUDING HERE  IN NEW MEXICO, HERE IN NEW MEXICO, WE SEE THE SIGNS OF  CLIMATE CHANGE ALL AROUND US.

EVERYDAY AND ALL THE TIME.

WE KNOW WHY THE RIVERS ARE DRYING,   WHY FARMERS DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER, WHY THIS YEAR IN  APRIL OR FIRE SEASON IS ALREADY ABSOLUTE MADNESS.

AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHY THAT IS HAPPENING.

AND ABOUT HOW WE ARE ACCELERATING THOSE CHANGES.

BY CONTINUING TO DEVELOP FOSSIL FUELS IN THE STATE, BY  CONTINUING TO INVEST IN FOSSIL FUELS, BY NOT PIVOTING MORE  QUICKLY TOWARDS EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLES.

IN NEW MEXICO, WE DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM HARD CONVERSATIONS.

ABOUT CULTURE, HISTORY, LAND.

WE NEED TO HAVE MORE OF THOSE  HARD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LAND, ABOUT WATER AND ABOUT WHY OUR  LANDS ARE DRYING AND OUR WATER IS SHRINKING.

TO SEE THESE REALITIES ON THE GROUND LIKE WE DO ON OUR SHOW  ALL THE TIME, IT IS HARD.

IT IS HORRIBLE.

BUT IT IS HARDER TO SEE THAT THERE ARE PATHS FORWARD, PATHS  THAT WILL PROTECT FUTURE NEW MEXICANS AND TO KNOW WE ARE  DECIDING NOT TO TAKE THOSE PATHS.

52 YEARS AFTER THAT FIRST EARTH DAY, IT IS NOT TIME  CELEBRATE.

IT IS TIME TO GET TO WORK.