Matt Shuham contributed reporting from New York City.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive U.S. report concludes the evidence of global warming is stronger than ever and that more than 90 percent of it has been caused by humans.
The conclusion contradicts a favorite talking point of senior members of the Trump administration.
A 477-page report released Friday said it’s “extremely likely” — meaning with 95 to 100 percent certainty — that global warming is man-made, mostly from carbon dioxide through the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt have said carbon dioxide isn’t the primary contributor to global warming.
Since 1900, the report says Earth has warmed by 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) and seas have risen by 8 inches. Heat waves, downpours and wildfires have become frequent.
Asked by TPM Friday why the White House signed off on the report — given its record of making policy around a skepticism of climate science — deputy press secretary Raj Shah focused on the report’s disclaimer about “remaining uncertainty in the sensitivity of Earth’s climate to [greenhouse gas] emissions.”
Read the White House’s full statement below:
The climate has changed and is always changing. As the Climate Science Special Report states, the magnitude of future climate change depends significantly on “remaining uncertainty in the sensitivity of Earth’s climate to [greenhouse gas] emissions.” In the United States, energy related carbon dioxide emissions have been declining, are expected to remain flat through 2040, and will also continue to decline as a share of world emissions.
The Administration supports rigorous scientific analysis and debate and encourages public comment on the draft documents being released today. To address climate change as well as other risks, the U.S. will continue to promote access to the affordable and reliable energy needed to grow economically, and to support technology, innovation and the development of modern and efficient infrastructure that will reduce emissions and enable us to address future risks, including climate related risks.
This post has been updated.
Meaning nobody read it before they signed off on it.
Declines in CO2 emissions are not the same as declines in the total amount in the atmosphere and oceans. Any reduction in U.S. CO2 emissions happened in spite of the Effen Moron Administration’s attempts to revive fossil fuel dependency. All the green economy developed because it is more efficient and cheaper and has rather more of a future potential than the fossil industries. A cleaner healthier future is bigger than trump’s BS.
Here’s the actual report, in case anyone is interested. Not sure why it wasn’t linked to in the article.
I’m pleasantly surprised that the report wasn’t shelved, or butchered with politically motivated edits at the end of the process.
Extremely likely? I thought they were sure.
Well, since we’ll never eliminate 100% of GHGs, why try at all?