Environmental+Policy+Briefing

__ Environmental Policy Briefing  __ **  Top 5 Environmental issues facing the US   ** **  Climate Change   ** __ Main Causes:   __ Over all, climate change is attributed to the “greenhouse effect,” which keeps being expanded by human activity. In specific, scientists are 90% sure that industrial activities in our modernized civilization have raised greenhouse emissions in the past 50 years.  · Variations in Earth’s orbital characteristics- Normal cyclical variations in 3 of the Earth’s orbital characteristics attribute to change.  · Atmospheric carbon dioxide variations- There is a connection between the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and global temperature. This gas is partly responsible for the greenhouse effect.  · Volcanic eruptions- There is a connection between large explosive volcanic eruptions and short term climate changes.  · Variations is solar output- There is a link between sun spots and climate change. __ Main Contributors  __ __ Regions Impacted (TOP !0)  __  · Darfur  · The Gulf Coast  · Italy  · Northern Europe  · The Great Barrier Reef  · Island Nations  · Washington D.C    ·  The Northwest Passage  · The Alps  · Uganda __ Estimated Economic Cost of Damage  __  · Will cost the global economy about 20 trillion dollars a year by the end of the century __ Estimated Economic Cost of Clean- up  __  · Between 1990-2006, the cost of clean up was around $1.1 billion for the US, this will only increase over time. __ Estimated Cost if not cleaned up  __ <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Progressively the cost would increase to billions of dollars <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Increase in the spread of deadly diseases like malaria <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Stronger and more frequent hurricanes resulting in areas being destroyed as well as deaths resulting from damages <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Increased droughts and heat waves- which can in the end bring illness and food shortages <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Polar ice caps melting- can cause extinction of animals, rise in sea levels which can destroy land, intensifying global warming __ Possible Solution of Global Warming  __ <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Set limits on global warming pollution <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Invest in green jobs and clean energy <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Drive smarter cars <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Create green homes and buildings <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Build better communities and transportation network <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Eliminating the burning of coal, oil and natural gas __ Political Allies of Solution  __ <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Tony Blair- “Global Warming is too serious for the world any longer to ignore its danger or split into opposing factions on it.” <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Al Gore- “Two thousand scientists, in a hundred countries, engaged in the most elaborate, well organized scientific collaboration in the history of humankind, have produced long-since a consensus that we will face a string of terrible catastrophes unless we act to prepare ourselves and deal with the underlying causes of global warming.” __ Political Adversaries of Solution  __ <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Ken Buck- “…global warming is the greatest hoax that has been perpetrated.” <span style="margin: auto auto auto 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · Martin Keeley- “Global warming is indeed a scam, perpetrated by scientists with vested interests, but in need of crash courses in geology, logic and the philosophy of science.” Bibliography http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/each-countrys-share-of-co2.html [] [] [] [|http://www.scientificamerican.com] [] http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/sciencetech/5-deadliest-effects-of-global-warming/276 [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
 * 1)   Climate Change
 * 2)   Energy
 * 3)   Waste
 * 4)   Water
 * 5)   Food
 * Meat Industry-They make up more than all of the transportation methods’ greenhouse gas emissions combined.
 * Deforestation
 * Agricultural
 * Rice Cultivation
 * The “ Big 6” Automakers: Toyota, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, GM, Nissan
 * China
 * United States
 * Russia
 * India
 * Japan