N.Y. Times Editorial Praises Work of National Academy of Sciences

The New York Times, in an editorial published today, said it hoped the U.S. Senate was paying attention to new National Academy of Sciences studies that focused on the folly of putting off governmental action on climate change any longer.

Wrote the Times: "We hope the reports will jolt the United States Senate into moving forward on an energy and climate bill. They provide an authoritative rebuttal to skeptics in the Senate and industry who have pounced upon small errors in the 2007 report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to suggest that the whole thing is a hoax."

The editorial quoted the research as saying: "Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems." Added the Times: "The reports acknowledge that while the magnitude of these risks -- sea level rise, drought, disease, the destruction of marine- and land-based ecosystems -- are difficult to predict, society would be wise to move swiftly and aggressively to minimize them."

The scientific study noted that from 2012 to 2050, the U.S. should produce no more than a total of 200 billion tons of GHG, and "ideally considerably less. The longer we wait to begin reducing emissions, the academy adds, the harder and more costly it will be to reach the target. It recommends putting a price on emissions as well as investments in energy efficiency, alternative fuels and developing cleaner technologies."