On Jan. 13, an amendment proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline bill was approved for consideration. The measure asks whether lawmakers agree with the overwhelming consensus of scientists who say man-made climate change is negatively impacting the planet.

In other words, the Senate will vote on whether or not they believe climate change exists. While part of me is happy that this issue is getting attention and will serve as a useful guide on who to vote out of office, I can’t help but wonder how people consistently confuse science with faith when it comes to climate change.

Science is not something one can choose to believe in; whether you accept or deny the results, they will still be true. This fact isn’t any different when it comes to climate change.

Last Friday, an analysis published by NASA shows 2014 to be the warmest year in recorded history.

This may not seem too alarming at first given that recorded climate history spans only 135 years. However, as pointed out by Seth Borenstein in an article from the Associated Press, the three hottest years on record—2014, 2010 and 2005—have all occurred in the last 10 years. In fact, all 15 years in the 21st century have been among the top 20 warmest years on record. As stated in that same article, the odds of this occurring randomly are 1.5 quadrillion to 1.

Coupled with the fact that the rate of sea level rise since 1992 has been roughly twice the rate observed over the past century, it’s no wonder 97 percent of the climate science community considers human activity to be a major driver behind climate warming trends.

Humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels is a double-edged sword. While they may be easier and more economical than renewable methods, there’s only so much harm we can do to the environment before it’s damaged beyond repair. This amendment on the Keystone XL Pipeline bill is meant to act as a message to fossil fuel supporters on Capitol Hill: climate change can no longer be ignored.

If this amendment doesn’t get added on to the bill, it will be yet another instance of pretending like nothing is wrong. But if the pipeline is eventually approved for construction with this amendment attached to it, the Senate will more or less be admitting that while climate change is a clear and present danger, they just don’t care.

And why should they? They won’t be the ones cleaning up the mess they leave behind.

Kevin Ridder is a senior in environmental journalism. He can be reached at [email protected].