Via The Hill:

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) declared on the Senate floor Thursday that the debate over whether humans are causing climate change is over, and that it has been shown conclusively that human activity is leading to global warming.

“People say there are questions about the theory,” he said. “No, there are not.

“The argument that the jury is still out on climate change is a false and bogus argument,” he added. “The jury is not out. In fact, the jury is in, the effects are obvious, they surround us every day, and we need to take action.”

Whitehouse said the theory that warmth creates a moist atmosphere that traps heat has been around since the Civil War. “That’s been basic textbook science for a century,” he said. “It’s never been controverted. It’s a law, essentially, of science.”

He cited a 2009 letter from several scientific groups that said observations around the world “make it clear. . . that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gasses emitted by human activities are the primary driver.”