It’s no wonder the State Department avoided any press attention over the latest US Climate Action Report released on Friday. (see this previous post for details).
You can find the whole report here – I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting some of the more interesting quotes that I’m sure the White House would love to sweep under the rug…
From the section “Greenhouse Gas Inventory:” (pdf)
- “In 2004, total greenhouse gas emissions rose to 7,074.4 teragrams of carbon dioxide equivalent, which was 15.8% above 1990 emissions.”
- “From 1990 through 2004, US greenhouse gas emissions increased by 15.8 percent. Specifically, C02 emissions increased by 20 percent, CH4 and N20 emissions decreased by 10 and 2 percent, respectively.”
From the section “Projected Greenhouse Gas Emissions:” (pdf)
- “Over the same period from 2002 to 2012, while GHG [greenhouse gas] intensity is declining, total gross GHG emissions are expected to rise by 11 percent.”
- Table 5-2 in the same section reports that even if the US fully implements its climate programs and measures, total greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise between 2012 and 2020.
- “From 2000 to 2020 total C02 emissions [from energy consumption] – as calculated with Full Implementation of Climate Program Measures – are projected to rise by 17 percent…”
From the section “Impacts and Adaptation:” (pdf)
- “…despite increases in winter precipitation, in many places a large percentage of the traditionally snow-covered areas of the northwestern United States has experienced a decline in spring snow-pack, especially since the middle of the 20th century.”
- “The warmer temperatures projected with rising concentrations of greenhouse gases are expected to exacerbate present risks of drought in the United States.”
- “In recognition of significant potential impacts from climate change, the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act states: ‘Because global warming may result in substantial sea-level rise with serious adverse effects in the coastal zone, coastal states must anticipate and plan for such an occurrence.”
