The Assault on Science

News & SocietyPolitics

  • Author June Stepansky
  • Published September 24, 2021
  • Word count 1,088

When I was a young girl, there was a great respect for people of science (doctors, scientists etc.). We trusted them and felt that the contributions of all of our world scientists had made our lives healthier and better. Therefore I was very surprised and disappointed when in 2021 after 50 years of warnings from 97% of our most prestigious scientists that we are still living in a dangerous time of climate change our legislators have as yet not taken the actions they need to take to protect us from this life-threatening calamity.

The Worlds most Prestigious Scientific Organizations believe that the Climate is Warming

The following is a partial list of scientific organizations along with links to their published statements and a selection of related resources.

Statement on Climate Change from 18 Scientific Associations

“Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.” (2009)

Climate deniers are often funded by corporations, companies and individuals who for their own economic interests do not want environmental protection laws that will limit their profits.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

“The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society.” (2006)

American Chemical Society

“Comprehensive scientific assessments of our current and potential future climates clearly indicate that climate change is real, largely attributable to emissions from human activities, and potentially a very serious problem.” (2004)

American Geophysical Union

“Human‐induced climate change requires urgent action. Humanity is the major influence on the global climate change observed over the past 50 years. Rapid societal responses can significantly lessen negative outcomes.” (Adopted 2003, revised and reaffirmed 2007, 2012, 2013)

American Medical Association

“Our AMA … supports the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fourth assessment report and concurs with the scientific consensus that the Earth is undergoing adverse global climate change and that anthropogenic contributions are significant.” (2013)

American Meteorological Society

“It is clear from extensive scientific evidence that the dominant cause of the rapid change in climate of the past half century is human-induced increases in the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), chlorofluorocarbons, methane, and nitrous oxide.” (2012)

American Physical Society

“The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the Earth’s physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.” (2007)

The Geological Society of America

“The Geological Society of America (GSA) concurs with assessments by the National Academies of Science (2005), the National Research Council (2006), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) that global climate has warmed and that human activities (mainly greenhouse‐gas emissions) account for most of the warming since the middle 1900s.” (2006; revised 2010)

There is only a small window of time left for us to act on this life-threatening problem for our planet before we will no longer be able to protect ourselves from this dangerous calamity.

International Academies: Joint Statement

“Climate change is real. There will always be uncertainty in understanding a system as complex as the world’s climate. However there is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. The evidence comes from direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures and from phenomena such as increases in average global sea levels, retreating glaciers, and changes to many physical and biological systems. It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities (IPCC 2001).” (2005, 11 international science academies)

National Academy of Sciences

“The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify taking steps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” (2005)

U.S. Global Change Research Program

“The global warming of the past 50 years is due primarily to human-induced increases in heat-trapping gases. Human ‘fingerprints’ also have been identified in many other aspects of the climate system, including changes in ocean heat content, precipitation, atmospheric moisture, and Arctic sea ice.” (2009, 13 U.S. government departments and agencies)

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal and since the 1950s many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed. The amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen.”

“Human influence on the climate system is clear and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems.”

List of Worldwide Scientific Organizations

This page lists the nearly 200 worldwide scientific organizations that hold the position that climate change has been caused by human action.

Source information: NASA –Global climate change

Climate Deniers

“Unfortunately there is also a long list of climate deniers who have made a living out of denying the science of climate change. These so-called ‘experts’ often start out their statements with ‘I’m not a climate scientist, but…’ before launching into a series of carefully rehearsed talking points meant to confuse the public on the climate change issue. A great many of them are well-paid operatives of organizations like The Heartland Institute, CFACT, and Americans for Prosperity, which take contributions from fossil fuel corporations — including ExxonMobil, the Koch Brothers and their company Koch Industries — who seek to delay or block any substantial government policy initiatives meant to curb fossil fuel emissions or hasten the rapid growth of cheaper, cleaner sources of energy like wind and solar.” – Source information: Before the flood

In 2019, 1.1 million students skipped school for a climate strike protest. These are young people and young voters who care about their future and took action to show our politicians that they are concerned about what is happening to our environment and to their future.

They are also aware that the Republicans in Congress because of their own self-interest and economic greed have been fighting to prevent any constructive action on addressing climate change and making our country and world safer.

In 2021 and 2022 we all will have the opportunity to make our voices heard again on this important life and death issue. If we make the wrong choice at the ballot box, this country and this earth that we love so much, and our children and all future generations will ultimately pay the price of living on a more dangerous and life-threatening planet. Now is the time that we must all commit ourselves to protect this fragile earth from that unthinkable fate.

June Stepansky is a published writer and poet who writes books and articles about happiness, self-improvement and social and political issues. Her poetry has been published in the literary magazine Vol No 21 Childhood and in Vol No 22. Poems that Need to be Explained.

A Different Voice—free self-help book

https://www.free-ebooks.net/self-improvement/A-Different-Voice

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https://www.free-ebook.net/poetry/kaleidoscope

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