(Per Federal Register Notice)
(Public Comments Submitted)
Posted on 06/02/2002 7:46:20 PM PDT by JerseyHighlander
The United States of America's Third National
Communication Under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
FINAL VERSION
Hard copies of this report will not be published for several months. Ordering information will be available on this page once copies are available.
(Per Federal Register Notice)
(Public Comments Submitted)
All files listed in the Table of Contents are available for viewing or download in Adobe Acrobat 5.0 format. The Acrobat Reader is available at no cost from Adobe Systems.
Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview (197k pdf) – Summarizes the main elements of the report.
Chapter 2. National Circumstances (450k pdf) – Presents a snapshot of the national characteristics of the United States that play a role in climate change, including the country's climate, geography, economy, demographic trends, energy production and consumption, and natural resources.
Chapter 3. Greenhouse Gas Inventory (442k pdf) – Provides a broad overview of all U.S. greenhouse gas emission sources and sinks, introduces key concepts, and discusses the primary drivers for the growth in emissions. All material in the chapter is drawn from the U.S. Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–1999.
Chapter 4. Policies and Measures (320k pdf) – Reviews national policies to limit emissions and enhance sinks of greenhouse gases undertaken since 1990.
Chapter 5. Projections (322k pdf) – Quantifies the aggregate effects on greenhouse gas emissions of policies and measures implemented or planned from 1990 to 2020.
Chapter 6. Vulnerability (1.5M pdf) – Addresses U.S. vulnerabilities to the adverse consequences of climate change and identifies the most promising adaptation measures being explored.
Chapter 7. Financial Resources (426k pdf) – Reviews U.S. efforts with other countries to assist with mitigation and sequestration strategies, build human and institutional capacity to address climate change, and facilitate the commercial transfer of technology.
Chapter 8. Research and Observation (296k pdf) – Discusses research efforts involving prediction of climate change, impacts and adaptation, and mitigation and new technologies. This chapter also provides an overview of U.S. work on Global Climate Observing Systems.
Chapter 9. Education, Training, and Awareness (269k pdf) – Addresses programs to educate and train students and citizens in areas related to climate change and reviews U.S. outreach activities to disseminate information about global climate change.
Appendix A: Emission Trends. (1.9M pdf)
Appendix B: Policies and Measures. (1.5M pdf)
Appendix D: Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions. (264k pdf)
Appendix E: Bibliography. (197k pdf)
http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/nwinsite.html
http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/actions/national/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/index.html
There is a link to the preliminary reports open comment period, Here which has some further info that should be aired.
But while the report says the United States will be substantially changed in the next few decades — "very likely" seeing the disruption of snow-fed water supplies, more stifling heat waves and the permanent disappearance of Rocky Mountain meadows and coastal marshes, for example — it does not propose any major shift in the administration's policy on greenhouse gases.It recommends adapting to inevitable changes. It does not recommend making rapid reductions in greenhouse gases to limit warming, the approach favored by many environmental groups and countries that have accepted the Kyoto Protocol, a climate treaty written in the Clinton administration that was rejected by Mr. Bush.
I wonder how many times this will get over looked.
FACTS....FACTS.....WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING FACTS!
Now what does this report create in term of precedence, or what would this report mean this election cycle if the media didn't stir it up at this point? Or what will this report and follow up reports do to solidify scientifically shaky climate change projection techniques during the next Democratic administration, 6, 10, or 14 years from now?
If this report had slid under the radar, a few thousand scientists in the climate change community/industry would have known of its existence. With this wide open airing (curteous NYT), it becomes a great foil to sow doubt in Bush's base as the the president's commitments on politically charged issues.
What's the use of an election, if we can't force these agencies to reflect the policy changes made by our elected leadership? They always seem to have the ability to pull an end run around any elected officials or appointees by going to the press and/or a cabal of unelected NGO's and lawyers.
But while the report says the United States will be substantially changed in the next few decades — "very likely" seeing the disruption of snow-fed water supplies, more stifling heat waves and the permanent disappearance of Rocky Mountain meadows and coastal marshes, for example — it does not propose any major shift in the administration's policy on greenhouse gases.It recommends adapting to inevitable changes. It does not recommend making rapid reductions in greenhouse gases to limit warming, the approach favored by many environmental groups and countries that have accepted the Kyoto Protocol, a climate treaty written in the Clinton administration that was rejected by Mr. Bush.
The new document, "U.S. Climate Action Report 2002," strongly concludes that no matter what is done to cut emissions in the future, nothing can be done about the environmental consequences of several decades' worth of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases already in the atmosphere.
Its emphasis on adapting to the inevitable fits in neatly with the climate plan Mr. Bush announced in February. He called for voluntary measures that would allow gas emissions to continue to rise, with the goal of slowing the rate of growth.
From the intro:
"While current analyses are unable to predict with confidence the timing, magnitude, or regional distribution of climate change, the best scientific information indicates that if greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase, changes are likely to occur.
The U.S. National Research Council has cautioned, however, that “because there is considerable uncertainty in current understanding of how the climate system varies naturally and reacts to emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols, current estimates of the magnitude of future warmings should be regarded as tentative and subject to future adjustments (either upward or downward).”
Moreover, there is perhaps even greater uncertainty regarding the social, environmental, and economic consequences of changes in climate. "
Sure, but they'd have to increase an impossibly large amount in an impossibly short time.
Remember, a lie becomes truth only if you choose to believe it.
Chapter 6: Impacts and Adaptation The discussion of impacts of climate change in this chapter is based on the U.S. National Assessment in the 2000 NAST Report. This report remains highly controversial, and was, at that time, the subject of considerable debate with regard to it scientific and policy discussions. The most contentious aspects of the report were (1) the use of the most pessimistic projects of potential climate impacts, with little or no discussion of the uncertainties involved in such projections; and (2) the use of global climate models to predict impacts on regional climates within the U.S. Global climate models cannot be used to project changes in regional climate, primarily because of insufficient spatial resolution and their inability to represent regional phenomena such as clouds. As was pointed out when the National Assessment was in review, the regional projections from the two climate models used often provide diametrically opposed projects for regional climate, making it impossible to determine which (or either) is (are) correct. Further, attempts to average the results from the two models are also without scientific basis. Thank you for your attention to these comments. Please contact Peg Gutmann at 313-594-0400 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
W. M. Kreucher
Of course, knowing what is really coming, none of this causes me serious concern. When the water canopy is restored around the earth, and the curse is removed from the ground, this entire planet will be a paradise beyond description. And you thought Jesus died just for your sins. He died to completely restore EVERYTHING we lost in the fall. Yes!!!
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