Posts Tagged ‘Bush Administration’

Even Bush Administration can’t ignore climate change

I’m somewhat surprised how little has been made in the media and blogosphere of a federal government report this week on how climate change is already be felt across the US.  Why the surprise? Because it’s being issued by the Bush Administration. 


An executive with the World Wildlife Fund told the Washington Post:



(T)he report represents “the very first upfront acknowledgment from the administration that we are already experiencing climate change impacts.” As recently as July 2007, the administration submitted a report to the United Nations that omitted any discussion of how global warming will affect wildfires, heat waves, agriculture or snowpack. 

According to the USDA, the report’s lead sponsor:



The report concludes that climate change is already affecting U.S. water resources, agriculture, land resources, and biodiversity, and will continue to do so.  Some agricultural and forest systems may experience near-term productivity increases. Over the long-term, however, many such systems are likely to experience diminished ecosystem services and the need for changes to management regimes.  Management of water resources will become more challenging. Increased incidence of disturbances such as forest fires, insect outbreaks, severe storms, and drought will command public attention and place increasing demands on management resources.  Changes in season length and primary productivity, along with possible breakdowns in traditional pollinator/plant and predator/prey interactions, are stressing and altering current ecosystems.  

 

Frankly, that’s quite an admission coming from this administration. If it’s willing to bless these conclusions, things have to be bad. And, in fact, probably worse than the report leads on, considering the lengths the White House has gone until recently to distance itself from the whole climate change issue. If nothing else, I hope this report sways at least a few conservative leaders to get off the global warming fence and start acting.

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