environment

IPCC's fifth assessment report on climate change

The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) released the Fifth Assessment Report. According to the report, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that  greenhouse gas levels and the average world temperature continue to increase, and that the global risk of dramatic changes to weather systems, global sea level, and flood and drought patterns is increasing as well.

New study suggests warming patterns could cause sea level to rise 30-feet

A new study predicts that human-induced climate change may mimic similar conditions not seen for more than 115 thousand years. Published in Nature Geoscience, the new study has found that during the Eemian, a period of warming that preceded the last ice age approximately 127-116 thousand years ago, high temperatures caused sea levels to rise almost 30 feet.

Carbon pollution standards for new power plants

The EPA proposed Carbon Pollution Standards under the Clean Air Act to cut carbon pollution from new power plants to improve public health and curb the effects of climate change. According to the EPA, the standards would ensure that new power plants are built with available clean technology, and would coincide with investments in clean energy technologies that are already being made in the power industry.

1987 Montreal Protocol helped soften climate change, study says

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was established in 1987 to reduce the production and use of certain compounds that erode sections of the Earth’s stratosphere, making us more vulnerable to radiation. Now, a new study published in the Journal of Climate concludes that the Montreal Protocol did more than just protect us from radiation; it also helped lessen the effects of climate change.

Update on the Latest Climate Change Science and Local Adaptation Measures

Icebergs in the Weddell Sea
On August 1, 2012 the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing to receive an update on the latest scientific studies on climate change and strategies to adapt local communities its impacts. According to a 2011 National Academies report, America’s Climate Choices, climate change is occurring, poses a significant risk to humans and natural systems, and is primarily caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities. Conclusions linking climate change to anthropogenic influence have been doubted by a select group of scientists and national leaders, including Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) who authored “The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future.”

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