With a record heat wave and an undeniable mountain of evidence, the climate smear campaign—heavily promoted in last winter’s blizzard of denial—is rapidly melting away.

Unfortunately, so is the time left to act:

• The last decade was the hottest decade on record
• The past 12 months was the hottest year-long period on record
• This past June was the hottest June on record

Last week, we built a giant “Climate Deniers” ice sculpture on the Senate lawn. This visual should be clear enough for even the most conservative senator to understand.

CNN joined us to watch it melt, along with any remaining doubts about the need for action.

This week, the Senate is finally preparing to act on long-delayed energy legislation. We must make sure they listen to climate scientists, not climate deniers.

Watch the CNN video and tell your senators not to let our clean energy future melt away.

We’ve spent the last year fighting for a comprehensive climate plan to secure our clean energy future. Now senators have to make a choice:

They can take action to cut carbon pollution, create jobs, and enhance our national security… or they can let our clean energy future melt away.

It’s their choice, but it’s our future. Tell your senators we are paying attention: http://consequence2010.org/MeltingAway

This our moment. In the next two weeks, we’ll find out where our senators stand. We’re ready for the fight.

“IT’S CAPPED” is the headline of Politico’s Morning Energy today, highlighting the biggest news out of the Gulf of Mexico in three months, as the well gushing millions of gallons of oil everyday appears to be capped.

After installing a tight-fitting cap onto the well and subsequently closing valves in other locations as tests, BP has kept the well capped for the second day. Currently the live video feed shows no oil flowing into the ocean.

This news comes on the 86th day, and after more than 180 million gallons had flowed into the Gulf, or more than one Exxon-Valdez spill every week. More importantly, however, is to remember that this is far from over.

The containment cap was never meant to be permanent, and still isn’t. BP will continue to drill relief wells as the final solution, to pump the oil directly the surface, before attempting to cement the original well for good. That leaves this effort far from complete

In addition, even when the well is capped and not a single drop of oil is spilling into the Gulf, an even larger mission awaits. In 1989, the Exxon-Valdez spill pumped 11 million gallons of oil into the waters off of Alaska. Two decades later, the region still shows the effects.

The Gulf of Mexico, full of oil rigs that continue to pump oil everyday, is a larger, more populated region. In addition, more people make their living from the waters off of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, than anywhere in Alaska. These are billion dollar industries put at risk.

The cleanup and restoration is likely to take years, especially if it is hampered by oncoming hurricanes this summer. With more than 180 million gallons of oil to sift out of the water, sand and marshes, the scope of this effort is difficult to measure.

It’s importance, however, is unmeasurable.

From one side of the Gulf to the other, oil and tar balls have washed ashore, devastated coastlines. It is just the most recent disaster to overcome the region, but also the most preventable.

In the next few weeks, Congress will take up clean energy and climate legislation that would lessen our dependence on oil and makes these catastrophes less likely.

The Senate has a chance to act, to help move the country into the 21st century, and create millions of jobs. And it has a chance to stand up and say it is time to stop putting our country and our livelihoods at risk in the name of Big Oil profits.

This is not close to the end of the effect this oil spill will have on this country. Nor does that effect have to be all negative.

As the Senate decides what to do about climate change, we unveiled a giant ice sculpture on the Capitol lawn to melt away along with the false attacks of climate deniers. Check out the video of our three great speakers.

Dan Lashof, Director of NRDC’s Climate Center, told the crowd: “We are facing our last, best chance to prevent a meltdown of the environmental systems upon which all of us depend.”

Brenda Ekwurzel from the Union of Concerned Scientists: “We didn’t choose our energy from coal and oil, previous generation made that choice for us, and we have learned through science that we’ve been paying a price.”

Energy Action Coalition Co-Field Director Ethan Nuss: “I call on the U.S. Senate for urgent, bold, and strong action to pass comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation now! We need a cap on carbon pollution, and a common sense policy to create millions of clean energy jobs for my generation.”

Here are the first photos from today’s ice sculpture unveiling on the Senate lawn. More photos and video coming soon!

The event was a huge success. Many thanks to the speakers Ethan Nuss (Energy Action Coalition), Dan Lashof (NRDC), and Brenda Ekwurzel (Union of Concerned Scientists).

Youth groups and climate experts highlight melting of misinformation campaign by climate deniers

Washington — With record-breaking temperatures along the East Coast and multiple investigations clearing scientists involved with the stolen “Climategate” emails, the coordinated smears campaign by climate deniers is melting away. As the Senate decides what to do about global warming, come see the giant ice sculpture and watch the lies of the climate deniers melt before your very eyes.

WHAT: A three-tiered ice sculpture to be unveiled outside the U.S. Senate.

WHEN: Thursday, July 15, 2010

TIME: 12 Noon (Sculpture will be unveiled at noon and will be out all afternoon)

WHERE: East Front Lawn, U.S. Capitol (Senate side); near 1st St and Constitution NE

SPEAKERS: Ethan Nuss,Co-Field Director, Energy Action Coalition
Dan Lashof, Director, Climate Center, Natural Resources Defense Council

Brenda Ekwurzel, Climate Research and Analysis, Union of Concerned Scientists

US Senators (TBA)

The event is being sponsored by Consequence, the largest youth coalition ever assembled to call for a comprehensive energy and climate plan that delivers clean energy jobs, less pollution, and a more secure America.