U.S. Global Change Research Programs: Data Collection and Scientific Priorities : Hearing Before the Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session, March 6, 1996, Volume 4

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U.S. Government Printing Office, 1996 - 476 pages

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Page 239 - Decisions taken during the next few years may limit the range of possible policy options in the future because high near-term emissions would require deeper reductions in the future to meet any given target concentration. Delaying action might reduce the overall costs of mitigation because of potential technological advances but could increase both the rate and the eventual magnitude of climate change, and hence the adaptation and damage costs. Policymakers...
Page 285 - Nevertheless, the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate.
Page 140 - The resulting science will provide US leadership in the development of an international consensus on the state of the Earth today and in the future. We are confident that we have developed a balanced approach that...
Page 5 - ... would represent a major start, it is not sufficient to fulfill all the objectives of this initiative. Critical activities for the immediate future include the coordination of Federal agencies, and the strengthening of international agreements to facilitate the coordination of this international effort. NASA should embrace Mission to Planet Earth. This initiative is responsive, time-critical, and shows a recognition of our responsibility to our home planet. Do we dare apply our capabilities to...
Page 373 - The role of the IPCC is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.
Page 13 - Presidents of the National Academies of Science and Engineering and the Institute of Medicine, with the concurrence of their Councils, decided on the preparation of a small number of "White Papers" for the incoming Administration.
Page 271 - To establish the scientific basis for national and international policymaking relating to natural and human-induced changes in the global Earth system.
Page 231 - The good news is, however, that the majority of energy experts believe that significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are technically feasible through the use of an extensive array of technologies and policy measures in the energy supply and demand sectors at little or no cost to society.
Page 227 - The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.
Page 227 - The overwhelming majority of scientific experts, whilst recognizing that scientific uncertainties exist, nonetheless believe that human-induced climate change is inevitable. The question is not whether climate will change in response to human activities, but rather how much, how fast and where.

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