Twenty two years ago the EPA issued a report titled "Can We Delay a Greenhouse Warming?" At the time the conclusiuon was that some warming was inevitable. But how much and how fast? Today there's no doubt that Earth's climate is changing.
Globally, nine of the last ten years have been the warmest since records began in 1861. In the last 100 years average global temperatures have risen by about 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Europe had a heat wave in 2003 that killed 26,000. Chicago recorded 700 deaths in 1995.
Scientists recently met at the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research in the UK. This gathering presented evidence that global warming risks are more serious than previously thought. They found that greenhouse gases are affecting rainfall patterns and the global water cycle. The latest scientific predictions suggest that global temperatures are set to rise between 2.5 and 10.4 degrees F. over the next century unless we do something.
American and European scientists have shown that , if the Greenland ice sheet eventually disappears, this would lead to a rise in sea levels of about 23 feet over the next millenium, and the process of melting, once set in motion could be irreversible.
The heads of the G-8 countries will meet in July under the Prime Minister Tony Blair at Gleneagles in Scotland to show they are united to reduce emissions. Will Bush be there?
Don't count on him being there in a helpful capacity if he is. Today the Bush administration took sweeping action to open 60 million acres, about 1/3 of national forest land, to new road construction, logging and commercial use of previously protected areas.
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