University of Vermont researchers testified to state lawmakers this week that climate change is real and caused by human activity. 

The scholars testified to Vermont’s Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy in advance of a bill that, if passed, would make Vermont the first U.S. state to acknowledge humans as the primary cause of climate change.

“97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is human-induced,” said Professor Gillian Galford of UVM’s Gund Institute and the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) at the March 25 event.

Climate change has increased Vermont's average temperature and extreme precipitation events, added Galford, pointing to statistics from the National Climatic Data Center.

“If elected leaders don't act, the EPA states that by 2070, the climate of Vermont will be similar to that of North Carolina,” UVM environmental studies student Gina Fiorile told lawmakers.

Fiorile was chosen by the White House as one of eight “champion of change” for her efforts on climate education, including her role organizing the Vermont Youth Climate Summit with Jon Erickson, a Gund Fellow and RSENR professor.

In January, the U.S. Senate acknowledged that climate change is a fact, but declined to place blame on human activity as the primary cause. Vermont senators are expected to vote on the state climate resolution this month.

Read the full recap of the testimony in the Burlington Free Press. Read full remarks here by Galford, Fiorile and UVM adjunct Prof. Jody Prescott. Watch a video of Galford’s testimony below.