(Radio Iowa) – When Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley sits down for a budget committee hearing today (Wednesday), a familiar person will be on the witness list to testify. Former Iowa Governor and former U-S Ambassador to China Terry Branstad will be offering his perspective on climate change. “I particularly wanted Governor Branstad,” Grassley says, “because being ambassador to China, he can tell the Congress how far China is behind the United States in making changes in their economy that it takes to overcome it.” Grassley says Chinese industry is continuing to ignore the warnings from scientists about the looming ramifications of polluting the environment.

“China has got about 15% of the world economy. They have about 31 or 32% of the global warming gases put in the air,” Grassley says, “compared to the United States having about 21 or 22% of the world economy, and we’re putting in 13%.” Grassley, a Republican, notes there are many large and populous nations around the globe who are contributing to the specter of climate change, and action is needed. “We have to get the rest of the world, particularly China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, doing the same things that the United States is doing,” he says, “and it’s very important that we get that point of view across.”

While China is in the process of putting policies in place that would mitigate some of the impact of climate change, including a focus on ending the use of coal, Grassley says it’s too little, too late. Grassley’s schedule says the hearing at 9:30 A-M/Central time is called “Lessons Learned: Leadership Perspectives and Experience on the National Costs of Climate Change.”