American Scientific Community Unveils Climate Change Report

Scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) have come together to launch a new initiative on the need to act on climate change, before it is too late. The “What We Know” initiative began with the release of a report, entitled What We Know: The Reality, Risks, and Response to Climate Change. The report and initiative were both unveiled on March 18 with the goal of providing Americans with the scientific facts concerning climate change, in order to mitigate the confusion brought on by climate deniers.

The report was spearheaded by Dr. Mario Molina of the University of California, San Diego, who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their ability to break down the ozone layer, as well as Dr. Diana Wall of Colorado State University and Dr. James McCarthy of Harvard University. They, along with ten other scientists, plan to educate the American people on climate through speaking tours, testimonials, their website, and other means in order to show the scientific consensus on climate change and the potential disastrous impacts if nothing is done.

The report avoids providing any direct policy guidance and instead focuses on illuminating the key messages that they hope will sway Americans in understanding that human-caused climate change is real. In particular, they emphasize what could happen if nothing is done, including the greater potential for food shortages, sea level rise, heat waves and droughts, floods, other extreme weather, and large-scale extinctions.

According to the scientists who wrote the report, “we consider it our responsibility as professionals to ensure, to the best of our ability, that people understand the climate realities we face . . . armed with scientific understanding about the gravity of certain environmental problems, our nation has successfully used innovative approaches to address these challenges.” The hope is that this report will facilitate “scientists and economists to work together, ask tough questions, and break the boundaries of their professional silos.”