A recent report released by the United States Global Climate Change Research Program acknowledges that climate change is indeed happening here in the United States.  As long suspected, it isn’t healthy for our environment, us, or our future.  Basically, fasten your seatbelts folks because we are in for a bumpy ride.

U.S. President George H.W. Bush in 1989 created The US Global Climate Change Research Program.  The following year Congress passed the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606), which called for “a comprehensive and integrated United States research program which will assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.”

The report states that climate change is happening now and isn’t just something to be worried about in the future although it does cover probable future effects of adopting low emissions standards and the effects if we don’t.  The report also states that humans are the primary cause of the current and ongoing climate changes.  Compared to the last President’s administration this is a significant change.

Regardless of how we got to this place, the effects of these changes are many and varied.  Many areas of the country are experiencing changes in growing seasons, water supplies, sea level, the water temperature of our lakes, and oceans, and health concerns.

Because of the shift in climate, many areas are experiencing more insect life and insect borne illnesses.  The severity of storms is expected to increase and with greater storms come greater deaths, and dislocations of populations from affected areas.

Furthermore, greenhouse gases that are part of the problem also create air quality issues that negatively affect children, the elderly and those suffering from such common illnesses as asthma and bronchitis.  The warmer atmosphere will also lead to heat related illnesses.  Along with the rise in physical illnesses from changing environmental conditions, mental health is expected to suffer greatly from the increase in storms, natural disasters and displacements.

Some of the effects have passed the point of no return and some can still be moderated.  As a result, the United States needs to begin adapting to inevitable changes and implement policies that will slow or eliminate other changes.  Of course the solution for many of the problems is to reduce greenhouse gases emissions from factories, farms and vehicles.

The report has given us a couple of ways that we can moderate and maybe even clean up some of the mess we have gotten ourselves into.  Those solutions involve continuing to pursue green technology and innovative methods of building cities, factories and vehicles.

While we are taking the first steps towards improving our future, we need to be doing more and moving faster.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 at 11:01 pm under Science and technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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