Most of the American public no longer needs thousands of scientists from many countries to tell us the climate is changing. All we really have to do is look out the window to see the daffodil shoots sprouting in winter to know there is warming. And Al Gore is everywhere now being the Ozone Man he once avoided. So thank you United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN-IPCC) for telling us what we already know. The Earth is warming up due to human activity. (Report)According to The Washington Post report from "Reuters", the IPCC has moved from reporting that it is "likely" that human activities are causing global warming to reporting that it is "very likely." WOW. The report also predicts a two foot rise in sea levels. AAEA's big concern is an increase in summer temperatures that will produce longer and more intense smog seasons. If increased nitrogen oxide (component of smog) levels increase from more use of ethanol in our cars, there could be significantly more smog and possibly a super heated smog. Asthma rates could significantly increase and so could asthma suffering and death. Let's get busy.
Politics could get in the way. Many want to blame global warming on President Bush. However, the U.S. Congress has repeatedly refused to pass global warming legislation. Congress also rejected the Kyoto Protocol. Published reports, including The Washington Post, like to say that Bush 'pulled us out' of the Kyoto Protoocol, but the USA was never a signatory to the treaty. The bottom line is that Americans are not willing to reduce the standard of living to reduce global warming. America will not use less energy and renewables plus alternative technologies alone simply cannot provide the energy America needs to thrive. So ADAPTATION is the buzz word. And we can mitigate global warming by building many more nuclear power plants and using plug-in fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles, particularly in China and India, because they do not emit greenhouse or smog-forming gases.
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