Global Warming and Other Environmental Consequences of Energy Strategies: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Environmental Protection of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session, March 13, 20, and April 26, 1991

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Page 79 - Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally pervasive experiment whose ultimate consequences could be second only to a global nuclear war.
Page 49 - These processes are already partially understood, and we are confident that the uncertainties can be reduced by further research. However, the complexity of the system means that we cannot rule out surprises.
Page 48 - Emissions resulting from human activities are substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrous oxide. These increases will enhance the greenhouse effect, resulting on average in an additional warming of the Earth's surface.
Page 49 - Ecosystems affect climate, and will be affected by a changing climate and by increasing carbon dioxide concentrations. Rapid changes in climate will change the composition of ecosystems; some systems will benefit while others will be unable to migrate or adapt fast enough and may become extinct. Enhanced levels of carbon dioxide may increase productivity and efficiency of water use of vegetation. The effect of warming on biological processes, although poorly understood, may increase the atmospheric...
Page 268 - The Alliance To Save Energy is a national nonprofit coalition of government, business, environmental and consumer leaders dedicated to increasing energy efficiency. We conduct research, pilot projects, educational programs and policy advocacy to achieve this goal.
Page 49 - The size of this warming is broadly consistent with predictions of climate models, but it is also of the same magnitude as natural climate variability. Thus the observed increase could be largely due to this natural variability; alternatively this variability and other human factors could have offset a still larger humaninduced greenhouse warming.
Page 100 - July 1989, is — achieving balance among our increasing need for energy at reasonable prices, our commitment to a safer, healthier environment, our determination to maintain an economy second to none , and our goal to reduce dependence by ourselves and our friends and allies on potentially unreliable energy suppliers...
Page 48 - Carbon dioxide has been responsible for over half the enhanced greenhouse effect in the past, and is likely to remain so in the future.
Page 79 - Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. I am Daniel Lashof, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Previously I was an Environmental Scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, where I was the lead author of the Report to Congress Policy Options for Stabilizing Global Climate. I hold a doctorate in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, where I specialized in the global carbon cycle. I appreciate the opportunity to appear...
Page 49 - There are many uncertainties in our predictions particularly with regard to the timing, magnitude and regional patterns of climate change, due to our incomplete understanding of: • sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, which affecl predictions of future concentrations.

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