The scientific consensus on climate change was expressed in an open letter sent to the US Senate on last Wednesday, 21 October. The letter was prepared and signed by AGU, along with 17 other leading scientific societies and organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. The letter came just one week before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is set to begin a series of hearings on climate change legislation, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733).
While the signatories represent a wide variety of scientific disciplines, they all came together to express their concern over anthropogenic climate change. The letter states: “Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver. These conclusions are based on multiple independent lines of evidence, and contrary assertions are inconsistent with an objective assessment of the vast body of peer-reviewed science.”
The letter also describes some of the expected consequences for the United States, noting that “climate change impacts include sea level rise for coastal states, greater threats of extreme weather events, and increased risk of regional water scarcity, urban heat waves, western wildfires, and the disturbance of biological systems throughout the country.”
The goal of the letter was to remind Senators of the scientific consensus on climate change, drawing from the position statements of the various signatories. The language does not delve into technical details, but, instead, remains brief and frank.
S. 1733 was introduced in late September by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and is the Senate version of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454), which was sponsored by Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) and narrowly passed the House of Representatives by one vote in June.
To read the letter, please visit: http://www.agu.org/outreach/science_policy/pdf/Climate_Letter.pdf
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10/26/2009
ASLA 09-19
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