The American Meteorological Society has released the following Rapid Response Statement in response to the repeal of the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding.
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is deeply concerned by the repeal of EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, which correctly concluded that greenhouse gas emissions harm health and well-being for current and future generations.
AMS reaffirms key scientific conclusions of climate change that relate to the Endangerment Finding:
1. The impacts of climate change are harmful to people and nature, including to the people of the United States and the nation itself.
People are the primary cause of modern climate change, mostly through the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.
The changes in climate that people are causing are larger and faster than any humanity is known to have endured over the last 10,000 years.
A stable and primarily beneficial climate is a foundation of life as we know it.
Most of what people depend on is tuned to climate and highly sensitive to climate changes. This includes where and how we live, the food we produce, water resources, the goods and services that nature provides to us, and our built infrastructure.
A wide range of harmful impacts are already occurring and are expected to greatly increase and to outweigh positive impacts.
2. The scientific evidence for these broad conclusions is extensive, robust, and thoroughly vetted.
Climate change is among the most comprehensively investigated topics in the history of science.
For decades, thousands of scientists from dozens of fields of science have investigated the climate system and the impact people have on it.
The scientific evidence has been assessed comprehensively by independent scientific institutions and independent experts that consider all evidence. Crucially, scientific accuracy is central to the standing and credibility of scientific institutions that have examined and validated climate science.
No broadly contradictory assessments from credible scientific organizations exist.
The decisions of elected officials and public servants have the greatest potential to serve the nation when they are underpinned by the best available scientific knowledge and understanding. The repeal of the Endangerment Finding does not alter the central unambiguous scientific conclusion: The climate change that people are causing threatens human lives and well-being.
The American Meteorological Society advances the atmospheric and related sciences, technologies, applications, and services for the benefit of society. Founded in 1919, AMS has a membership of around 10,000+ professionals, students, and weather enthusiasts. AMS publishes 12 atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic science journals, in print and online; sponsors more than 12 conferences annually; and offers numerous programs and services. Visit us at https://www.ametsoc.org/ .