MAJOR SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES AGREE ON GLOBAL WARMING: IT’S TIME FOR ACTION!

In a letter sent June 28 to Members of Congress, a partnership of 31 major scientific societies (including virtually every leading scientific organization in the world, including the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the U.S. National Academies, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Chemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society, the American Statistical Association, the Ecological Society of America, and the Geological Society of America) reaffirmed the reality of anthropogenic global warming, noting that greenhouse gas emissions “must be substantially reduced” to minimize negative impacts on the global economy, natural resources, and human health. As carbon is transferred via combustion of fossil fuels from natural subsurface sequestration to accumulations in Earth’s atmosphere and hydrosphere, the impacts of this unnaturally rapid geochemical redistribution are becoming increasingly problematic. Rising temperatures and related changes plus ocean acidification are stressing most of our planet’s ecosystems, including the habitats of hundreds of millions of people. “The severity of climate change impacts is increasing and is expected to increase substantially in the coming decades. To reduce the risk of the most severe impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be substantially reduced.”

In its position statement on climate change, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) asserted “Human‐Induced Climate Change Requires Urgent Action.” Executive director/CEO of AGU, Christine McEntee, emphasized, “Climate change is one of the most profound challenges facing our society.” Added Rush Holt, Chief Executive Officer of AAAS, “We must not delay, ignore the evidence, or be fearful of the challenge. America has provided global leadership to successfully confront many environmental problems, from acid rain to the ozone hole, and we can do it again.”  Historically the United States has led the world in conservation initiatives, from the establishment of national parks to the Clean Air Act (1970) and the Clean Water Act (1972). It is time to reclaim our heritage and reassert our environmental leadership in addressing the world’s most daunting geoscience challenge!