As oceans get warmer, Congress is facing heat
David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor
Thursday, May 20, 2010
On the same day that climate researchers reported strong new evidence that the temperatures of the world's oceans are on the rise, teams of America's leading scientists Wednesday called on Congress to face the urgent problem of global warming by raising the cost of greenhouse gas emissions to U.S. industry.
The reality of the planet's changing climate was underscored by a new report on ocean temperatures that combined years of conflicting data into what researchers say is a realistic picture of ocean warming and the National Academy of Sciences, which released three major reports on the science behind the climate problem and the urgency with which it must be faced.
There is no longer any doubt that global warming is real, said Pamela A. Matson, dean of the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford, who led one of five panels organized at Congress' request to assess the reality and urgency of global warming and propose measures to cope with it.
"Climate change is occurring," Matson said. "The Earth is warming, concentrations of carbon dioxide are increasing, and there are clear fingerprints that link these warming effects to human activity."
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/19/MNPS1DGRNN.DTL#ixzz0oWk7x9Hmhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/19/MNPS1DGRNN.DTL