Report on Climate Change is "Eye-Opening"
The federal government wanted to find out the impact that global warming was having on the United States. Thirteen federal agencies came together to sponsor a study for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. Thirty-eight scientists were involved in the study.
The scientists did not carry out any new research. They analyzed 1,000 existing studies and tried to focus their attention on what could happen in the next 25 to 50 years.
The best phrase to describe the findings was “eye-opening.” Tony Janetos, one of the authors of the study said, “I think that what’s really eye-opening is the depth and breadth of the impacts and consequences going on right now.”
Here are some of the highlights from the report:
A lack of rain in the West is making it easy for insects to destroy the trees.
The Southeast is not getting the consistent rain it usually gets so water storage is a problem and the region is now struggling with a drought.
The Southwest is getting drier weather and plants and animals in the region are facing the threats of wildfires.
Warmer weather is bringing longer growing seasons but plants have their own growth patterns so they are not yielding more crops.
The warming of the Arctic is reducing the snow and ice cover making it difficult for the polar bears to find food.
Higher carbon dioxide levels are changing the grasses and shrubs that provide food for cattle.
Peter Backlund, a director at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said, “Just to see it all there like that and to realize the impacts are pervasive right now is a little bit scary.”
Source: MSNBC
BLOG QUESTION
How should the federal government respond to this report?
The scientists did not carry out any new research. They analyzed 1,000 existing studies and tried to focus their attention on what could happen in the next 25 to 50 years.
The best phrase to describe the findings was “eye-opening.” Tony Janetos, one of the authors of the study said, “I think that what’s really eye-opening is the depth and breadth of the impacts and consequences going on right now.”
Here are some of the highlights from the report:
A lack of rain in the West is making it easy for insects to destroy the trees.
The Southeast is not getting the consistent rain it usually gets so water storage is a problem and the region is now struggling with a drought.
The Southwest is getting drier weather and plants and animals in the region are facing the threats of wildfires.
Warmer weather is bringing longer growing seasons but plants have their own growth patterns so they are not yielding more crops.
The warming of the Arctic is reducing the snow and ice cover making it difficult for the polar bears to find food.
Higher carbon dioxide levels are changing the grasses and shrubs that provide food for cattle.
Peter Backlund, a director at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said, “Just to see it all there like that and to realize the impacts are pervasive right now is a little bit scary.”
Source: MSNBC
BLOG QUESTION
How should the federal government respond to this report?