MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made energy independence more important than ever during a climate conference in South Florida on Monday.
Pelosi said during the opening session of the Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 in Miami Beach that the House has already passed legislation to combat climate change, and they continue to work with the Senate to gain bipartisan support.
“We have all the reason in the world to do this," Pelosi said. "It’s hard to understand why there are obstacles to it.”
Pelosi, who visited Ukraine earlier this month, said climate change has always been an issue of health, economics and security, and she pointed out that nations that have bought oil from Russia, including the U.S. and some European countries, have effectively funded the attack on Ukraine.
“The fact is that people can’t get away with that kind of behavior, and they cannot be financed in doing it by our dependence on fossil fuels in their country," Pelosi said.
The city of Miami Beach and the Aspen Institute are hosting the conference this week at the New World Center and Miami Beach Convention Center. This event features inside and outdoor stages, breakout and roundtable sessions, tours of local and historic resilience points of interest, as well as fashion, food, art and music activities.
Besides Pelosi, Monday's opening event also featured NBC's “Today” weatherman Al Roker discussing how climate change has affected reporting the weather over the past five decades. Climate experts John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram also laid out a blueprint for saving the planet.
The event runs through Thursday, focusing on topics like strengthening communities, deploying private investment, making and using clean energy and using the Earth itself to fight climate change.
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization with the stated aim of realizing a free, just and equitable society through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives.