On Tuesday, April 27, 2010, the EPA released a new report,
Climate Change Indicators in the United States that looks at
heat waves, storms, sea levels, glaciers and wildlife migrations, among other
phenomenon, that the agency claims are likely related to climate change.
The data used in this report were collected by several
government agencies, academic institutions and other stakeholder organizations,
the EPA said.
Some of the key findings include:
- Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are
increasing. Between 1990 and 2008, there has been about a 14 percent increase
in emissions in the United States.
- Average temperatures are rising. Seven of the top
10 warmest years on record for the continental United States have occurred
since 1990.
- Tropical cyclone intensity has increased in recent
decades. Six of the 10 most active hurricane seasons have occurred since the
mid-1990s.
- Sea levels are rising. From 1993 to 2008, sea
level rose twice as fast as the long-term trend.
- Glaciers are melting. Loss of glacier volume
appears to have accelerated over the last decade.
- The frequency of heat waves has risen steadily
since the 1960s. The percentage of the U.S. population impacted by heat waves
has also increased.
The agency noted that the information included in this
report will "help inform future policy decisions and will help evaluate
the success of climate change efforts."
Click
here to read the report.
Source: EPA website