Report Points to Human Activity as Prime Cause of Climate Change

A draft federal report, which is awaiting White House approval, has concluded that human activity is "primarily responsible" for a drastic rise in temperatures in the United States since 1980. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI| License Photo

 

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A new federal report, which is awaiting White House approval, concludes that human activity is "primarily responsible" for a drastic rise in the average temperature in the United States in the last four decades.

The Climate Science Special Report was authored by scientists from 13 federal agencies -- including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy -- and several academic institutions.

"The global climate continues to change rapidly compared to the pace of the natural changes in climate that have occurred throughout Earth's history. Trends in globally-average temperature, sea-level rise, upper-ocean heat content, land-based ice melt and other climate variables provide consistent evidence of a warming planet," the authors wrote.

The report said the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation and extreme heat occurring in most of the world is consistent with expected physical responses to a warming climate, which will continue to intensify such weather events.

"Many lines of evidence demonstrate that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are primarily responsible for the observed climate changes in the industrial era," the authors added. "There are no alternative explanations, and no natural cycles are found in the observational record that can explain the observed changes in climate."

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