Federal Report: Climate Change Is Real, Humans Are The Cause
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WASHINGTON D.C. (CBSMiami/CNN) -- The largest climate science report ever published was released Friday which confirms the worst fears of South Florida residents who witnessed storm surge flooding during Hurricane Irma during King Tides. In the report, nation's top scientists say climate change is real, and humans are the cause.
The federal government study finds "no convincing alternative explanation" for the changing climate other than "human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases."
The 600-page Climate Science Special Report was conducted by several federal agencies including NOAA, NASA and the Department of Energy. The report was approved by the White House, in apparent contradiction to past comments by President Donald Trump, who once tweeted that global warming was a hoax created by the Chinese to hurt U.S. manufacturing.
The report found that the past 115 years have been the warmest in the history of modern civilization. The average global temperature has increased by 1-point-8 degrees Fahrenheit. It found that sea levels have risen three inches since 1993.
The report also found that heavy rainfall is increasing, especially in the northeast.
New York Governor Andrew Cuoma made a climate change remark last weekend while marking the 5th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.
"To deny climate change is to deny science is to deny reality," said Gov. Cuomo.
When drafts of the report were circulated earlier this year, some participants voiced concern that President Trump's administration would seek to somehow interfere with the report, due to skepticism from Trump and others in his administration about climate science. Trump has nominated climate skeptics to top Environmental Protection Agency posts, and his administration has actively worked to dismantle climate protections, along with pulling out of the Paris climate accord.
But the study released Friday spoke specifically to the effects and costs of climate change.
"This assessment concludes, based on extensive evidence, that it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th Century. For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence," the report said.
Warming temperatures globally, rising sea levels, more frequent heat waves and increased numbers of forest fires are evidence of the changing climate, the report stated.
The Climate Science Special Report is required by federal law and includes contributions from multiple government agencies and non-government academic experts. The report is a component of the Fourth National Climate Assessment.
"The magnitude of climate change beyond the next few decades will depend primarily on the amount of greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide) emitted globally," the report said.
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