Climate change

“ Yet that is exactly what we are doing if we do not take action, the action we must take. The evidence of human-caused climate change is overwhelming. Global warming exists, and human activities are a major factor. ”

“ Given that air pollutants associated with climate change are accumulating in the atmosphere at an alarming rate, the window of opportunity in which we can mitigate the dangers posed by climate change is rapidly closing. ”

“ These and other climate changes are expected to be harmful, on balance, to the world’s natural and economic systems. Nevertheless, uncertainty remains about the magnitude and timing of these and other aspects of climate change, even if we assume that future climate policies are known in advance. ”

“ Historical Emissions and Climate Change With the onset of the industrial revolution more than two centuries ago, people have begun to change the carbon cycle significantly, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by about a third, or from roughly 600 billion to 800 billion metric tons of carbon (mtc) —the highest amount in at least 400,000 years. [5] About 30 percent of the increase has come from cutting timber and clearing land for agriculture; the rest stems from extracting coal, oil, and natural gas from the fossil reservoir and burning them. ”

“ Some of the uncertainty is scientific. For a given amount of greenhouse gas emissions, what portion will accumulate in the atmosphere? How much will a given change in those concentrations affect the global climate? How will that global change be distributed throughout the world, and how rapidly will it occur? How much will regional climate change affect sea level, agriculture, forestry, fishing, water resources, disease risks, and natural ecosystems? ”

“ Climate Policy as Climate InsuranceClimate Policy as Climate Insurance Individuals and businesses routinely purchase insurance to guard against various forms of risk such as fire, theft, or other loss. This logic of self-protection also applies to climate change. Much is known about the basic science of climate change: there is a scientific consensus that, because of anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and other GHGs, global temperatures are increasing, sea levels are rising, and the world’s oceans are becoming more acidic. ”

“ Fourth Assessment Report showed that global anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses have increased 70% between 1970 and 2004, and anthropogenic emissions are very likely the cause of global climate change. ”

“ Beyond the sorts of gradual changes we have already experienced, global warming raises additional threats of large-scale changes, either changes to the global climate system, such as the disappearance of late-summer Arctic sea ice and the melting of large glacial ice sheets, or ecosystem impacts of climate change, such as critical endangerment or extinction of a large number of species. ”

“ The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we’re contributing to the warming of the earth’s atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. ”

“ The impacts of climate change — including an increase in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, more heavy downpours, an increase in wildfires, more severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise — are already affecting communities, natural resources, ecosystems, economies, and public health across the Nation. ”

“ Climate change presents a serious test for humankind, but it also provides an opportunity for great innovation and adaptation. The United States has risen to such challenges before, and Earth Day inspires us to transcend differences among nations so we may lead the world in protecting our planet from this global threat. Americans across the country are working hard to help limit the pollutants that cause climate change and reduce their impact on the environment, but we must do more. ”

“ Natural resource depletion and adverse impacts of environmental degradation, including desertification, drought, land degradation, freshwater scarcity and loss of biodiversity, add to and exacerbate the list of challenges which humanity faces. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and its adverse impacts undermine the ability of all countries to achieve sustainable development. ”

“ It continuously improves the capability of addressing climate change with the aid of scientific and technological progress, thereby making positive contributions to the environmental protection of the Earth. ”

“ A scientific consensus is emerging that rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are gradually changing the Earth’s climate, although the magnitude, timing, and effects of the alteration remain very uncertain. The prospect of long-term climate change raises a variety of domestic and international economic policy issues on which there is little accord. ”

“ Nevertheless, assessments of the potential costs and benefits of a warming climate typically conclude that the continued growth of emissions could ultimately cause extensive physical and economic damage. Many studies indicate significant benefits from undertaking research to better understand the processes and economic effects of climate change and to discover and develop new and better technologies to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. ”

“ Will rising greenhouse gas concentrations increase the probability of threshold effects, which could suddenly shift the climate into a significantly different global pattern?
Other sources of uncertainty are essentially economic. How rapidly will the world’s population and economies grow? How energy- and land-intensive will human activities be, and how much of the energy used for those activities will come from fossil fuels? How will policies to control emissions of greenhouse gases or to encourage technological developments affect the accumulation of gases in the atmosphere? ”

“ Scientists say that the temperature rise is at least partly due to human activity, and that if left unchecked, climate change will result in more violent storms, more economic disruptions, and more permanent flooding of coastal areas. ”

“ The world must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the most dangerous consequences of climate change. Even with increased efforts to curb these emissions, we must prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change. ”

“ After reviewing the latest evidence on the greenhouse effect in October 1985 at a meeting in Villach, Austria, organized by the WMO, UNEP, and ICSU, scientists from 29 industrialized and developing countries concluded that climate change must be considered a 'plausible and serious probability'. ”

“ At a deeper level, how will future generations value the effects of averting climate change? Future generations are likely to be wealthier, on average, than people are today and thus better able to adjust to changes in climate. ”

“ Moreover, climate change has occurred without alterations in greenhouse gas concentrations. Nevertheless, significant changes in concentrations appear to be nearly always accompanied by changes in climate. [3]
The link between greenhouse gases and climate is greatly complicated by a variety of physical processes that obscure the direction of cause and effect. Variations in the Sun’s brightness and the Earth’s orbit affect the climate by changing the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth. ”

“ First, the models may underrepresent the full impact of climate change. The models capture the direct effects of changing temperature and precipitation patterns and CO2 fertilization, but the crop production results are calibrated to hold constant the effects of other climate-related impacts on crops such as those due to pests, disease, exacerbated ozone concentrations, and the frequency of certain kinds of storms such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding. ”

“ What we do know is the temperature around the globe is increasing faster than was predicted even 10 years ago. We do know that the Arctic ice cap is melting faster than was predicted even five years ago. We do know that there have been extraordinarily -- there have been an extraordinarily large number of severe weather events here in North America, but also around the globe. And I am a firm believer that climate change is real, that it is impacted by human behavior and carbon emissions. ”

“ We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations. ”

“ We underline that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We emphasise our strong political will to urgently combat climate change in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. ”

“ Events such as the rapid melting of ice sheets and the consequent increase of global sea levels, or temperature increases on the higher end of the range of scientific uncertainty, could pose such severe economic consequences as reasonably to be thought of as climate catastrophes. Confronting the possibility of climate catastrophes means taking prudent steps now to reduce the future chances of the most severe consequences of climate change. ”

“ While scientists continue to refine projections, it is clear that climate change will continue and its damaging impacts will intensify without considerable action to reduce GHG emissions and to respond with adaptive measures. Even with significant near-term emissions reductions, dealing with near- and mid-term impacts due to past and current emissions will still pose challenges. ”

“ Issues Among Generations Acting to prevent climate change today would place a burden on people now alive and would probably leave coming generations with a climate more similar to today’s—but with somewhat less wealth—than they would have had otherwise. ”

“ That's why, over the past six years, we've done more than ever before to combat climate change, from the way we produce energy, to the way we use it. That's why we've set aside more public lands and waters than any administration in history. ”

“ The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis. We have a narrow moment to pursue action at home and abroad in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of that crisis and to seize the opportunity that tackling climate change presents. ”

“ Human activity since the Industrial Revolution, particularly the cumulative carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the huge consumption of fossil fuels by developed countries, have led to a significant increase in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases exacerbating climate change characterized by global warming. ”

“ To achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention to stabilize greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system, we shall, recognizing the scientific view that the increase in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius, on the basis of equity and in the context of sustainable development, enhance our long-term cooperative action to combat climate change. ”

“ A four track strategy is needed, combining:
improved monitoring and assessment of the evolving phenomena; increased research to improve knowledge about the origins, mechanisms, and effects of the phenomena; the development of internationally agreed policies for the reduction of the causative gases; and adoption of strategies needed to minimize damage and cope with the climate changes, and rising sea level. 24. No nation has either the political mandate or the economic power to combat climatic change alone. ”

“ And, finally, my government is following through on our commitment to provide $25 million for climate observation systems in developing countries that will help scientists understand the dynamics of climate change.
To clean the air, and to address climate change, we need to recognize that economic growth and environmental protection go hand in hand. Affluent societies are the ones that demand, and can therefore afford, the most environmental protection. ”

“ Earlier this month, hundreds of scientists declared that climate change is no longer a distant threat – it “has moved firmly into the present.” Its costs can be measured in lost lives and livelihoods, lost homes and businesses ”

“ Yet the past effects of climate change on preindustrial societies may not provide much information about its future effects on technologically advanced societies—especially the effects of significantly greater warming. [11] Researchers who study the sources of economic growth consistently find that at least during the past half-century, regions in temperate climates tended to prosper more than regions in tropical ones, even after differences in levels of income and education, rates of saving and investment, and other factors were taken into account. ”

“ And, of course, continued emissions beyond the next hundred years would contribute to additional warming.
The potential effects of any particular amount or rate of climate change over the next few centuries are very uncertain. Research on the connection between the climate and economic well-being yields particularly ambiguous conclusions. Humans generally appear to have prospered during warmer (or warming) periods and suffered during colder (or cooling) ones. People did not—perhaps could not—begin farming until after the last ice age ended. ”

“ As a result, although scientists have dramatically improved their understanding of the atmosphere, oceans, and climate in recent years, they are uncertain about how much of the observed warming is due to greenhouse gas emissions. They are even more uncertain about whether the warming that has occurred has caused more-extreme weather, such as more and bigger hurricanes, floods, and droughts. ”