Climate Pollution Harms Human Health and Welfare, Say Scientists

A new report by the National Academies of Science has found that climate pollution has serious and far-reaching consequences for human health and welfare. The report, released in September, affirms the 2009 Endangerment Finding by the EPA that greenhouse gas pollution endangers the health and welfare of current and future generations. The study concludes that human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases and resulting climate change harm the health of people in the United States, and that continued emissions will lead to more severe climate changes.

Key Takeaways:

• The National Academies of Science report finds that climate pollution harms human health and welfare is 'beyond scientific dispute'.
• The report affirms the 2009 Endangerment Finding by the EPA that greenhouse gas pollution endangers the health and welfare of current and future generations.
• The study concludes that human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases and resulting climate change harm the health of people in the United States.
• The report was released on the same day that a federal judge ruled in a case brought by EDF and the Union of Concerned Scientists, rejecting the Trump administration's claim that a group of hand-picked climate action opponents secretly convened by Trump Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright was exempt from Federal Advisory Committee Act's requirements for transparency and public participation.
• Scientists at Environmental Defense Fund praised the study, stating that it summarizes the overwhelming body of scientific evidence documenting the serious harms greenhouse gas emissions pose.
• The report considers extensive evidence, including numerous peer-reviewed studies and public comments, and strongly affirms what Americans across the country already know -- that climate pollution is harmful and reducing it is vital for protecting communities across the country.

Statistics:

• 3 million members: the number of members of Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit organization that creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems.
• 2009: the year in which the EPA Determined that greenhouse gas pollution endangers the health and welfare of current and future generations.
• 9: the number of findings in the National Academies of Science report, including that emissions of GHGs from human activities are increasing the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere and that human-caused emissions of GHGs and resulting climate change harm the health of people in the United States.
• 1: the report considers scientific information developed since 2009 and concludes that the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare is created by human-caused GHGs is beyond scientific dispute.

Sources:

• Environmental Defense Fund: A new report released today by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine finds that it is "beyond scientific dispute" that climate pollution harms human health and welfare.
• National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Effects of Human-Caused Greenhouse Gas Emissions on U.S. Climate, Health, and Welfare.
• Environmental Defense Fund: The National Academies of Science study summarizes the overwhelming body of scientific evidence documenting the serious harms greenhouse gas emissions pose.