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Scientists call on Obama for ‘maximum personal leadership’ to combat global warming Jeremy Hance mongabay.com June 22, 2009
In a letter composed by some of the world’s best and brightest scientists and scholars, they write that their “purpose is to call attention to the large difference between what U.S. politics now seems capable of enacting and what scientists understand is necessary to prevent climatic disruption and protect the human future”. While the scientists write that the Waxman-Markey bill—‘clean energy’ legislation that is meant to lower the United States’ greenhouse gas emission—“must be enacted this year” and should be “strengthened wherever possible and certainly not weakened”. The signatures call the bill a “first step” and acknowledge its shortcomings in forcing the necessary cuts to curb global warming. The letter further argues that current goals by the United States and other international governments—limiting the buildup off CO2 to 450 parts per million and stopping the rise of global temperatures at 2 degrees Celsisus—are simply not enough to deal effectively with global warming. “These objectives are inadequate to sustain the integrity of global climate and to hold the risk of ruinous climatic change to an acceptably low level,” the letter reads. “United States policy must provide a fully satisfactory U.S. contribution to global greenhouse gas reductions that move beyond these inadequate international limits.” The scientists go on to argue that climate change should be at least as much of a priority for the Obama Administration as health care reform, another major topic in Washington—and one that receives far more media coverage. “We recognize the difference in popularity of these two causes,” the scientists admit, “but it is the essence of Presidential leadership to show the way even where adequate public awareness of the risks ahead may be lacking. Speaking in Germany recently, President Obama referred to climatic change as ‘a potentially cataclysmic disaster.’ We agree and believe that message must be communicated and elaborated to the American people in time to assure strong, effective Congressional action in both houses of Congress this year.” The letter was signed by: Dean Abrahamson, Professor Emeritus, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Robert Costanza, Gordon and Lulie Gund Professor of Ecological Economics and Director, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, The University of Vermont Peter H. Gleick, N.A.S; President, Pacific Institute, Oakland, California Richard A. Houghton, Senior Scientist, Acting Director, The Woods Hole Research Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts Ralph Keeling, Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego Donald Kennedy, President Emeritus and Bing Professor of Environmental Sciences, Emeritus, Institute for International Studies, Stanford University Thomas Lovejoy, Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, Washington, D.C. Michael MacCracken, Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs, Climate Institute, Washington, D.C. Michael E. Mann, Director, The Earth System Science Center, Professor of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park Michael McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Science, Harvard University. Cambridge, MA Steve Running, Professor, Director , Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, Department of Ecosystem Science, Univ. of Montana, Missoula William Schlesinger, President and Director, The Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies, Millbrook, N.Y. Stephen H. Schneider, Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies; Professor, Department of Biology, Stanford University Richard C. J. Somerville, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego James Gustave Speth, Dean, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, New Haven, Connecticut Lonnie G. Thompson, Distinguished University Professor, School of Earth Sciences; Senior Research Scientist, Byrd Polar Research Center. The Ohio State University, Columbus Warren Washington, Senior Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado Richard S. Williams, Senior Scientist Emeritus, USGS; Visiting Senior Scientist, The Woods Hole Research Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts Timothy E. Wirth, President, The United Nations Foundation, Washington, D.C.; former US Senator from Colorado George M. Woodwell , Director Emeritus, Senior Scientist, The Woods Hole Research Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts Related articles New report predicts dire consequences for every U.S. region from global warming 
(06/17/2009) Government officials and scientists released a 196 page report detailing the impact of global warming on the U.S. yesterday. The study, commissioned in 2007 during the Bush Administration, found that every region of the U.S. faces large-scale consequences due to climate change, including higher temperatures, increased droughts, heavier rainfall, more severe weather, water shortages, rising sea levels, ecosystem stresses, loss of biodiversity, and economic impacts.
US responsible for 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions over past 150 years (05/31/2009) In the past 150 years, the United States has emitted more greenhouse gas emissions than any other nation in the world, according to a recent report by Greenpeace. In fact, US emissions account for 29 percent of the world’s total since the mid-1800s. The US emitted 328,264 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MtCO2) in the past 150 years, which is over 3 times the amount emitted by China in the same century-and-a-half. Cutting greenhouse gases now would save world from worst global warming scenarios 
(04/14/2009) If nations worked together to produce large cuts in greenhouse gases, the world would be saved from global warming's worst-case-scenarios, according to a new study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The study found that, although temperatures are set to rise this century, cutting greenhouse gases by 70 percent the globe could avoid the most dangerous aspects of climate change, including a drastic rise in sea level, melting of the Arctic sea ice, and large-scale changes in precipitation. In addition such cuts would eventually allow the climate to stabilize by the end of the century rather than a continuous rise in temperatures.
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