June 30, 2021

AGU and other science societies express the evidence-based urgency of boldly addressing climate change and encourage Congress to act quickly

Posted by Caitlin Bergstrom

On 30 June 2021, AGU and 48 other scientific societies sent a letter to leadership in Congress expressing urgency for bold action on climate change. 

 

Dear Members of Congress,

 

The undersigned major scientific organizations write to express the evidence-based urgency of boldly addressing climate change and encourage you to act quickly.

Observations throughout the world make it clear climate change is occurring and rapidly intensifying. Rigorous scientific research concludes greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by human activities are the primary driver. The basic physical science behind climate change is well understood and not the subject of serious scientific debate. There is strong evidence that ongoing climate change is having broad negative impacts on society, including the global economy, our shared environment and oceans, and human health. The severity of climate change impacts is likely to increase significantly in the coming decades.[1]

To reduce the risk of the most severe impacts of climate change, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions must be substantially reduced. Additionally, it is imperative we invest heavily in adaptation and mitigation strategies to improve resilience, including substantial infrastructure upgrades. Rapid action is necessary to avoid potentially disastrous consequences for health, biodiversity, food security, water availability, and national security.

Leading with science will be critical to understanding and addressing the effects of climate change, and the entire scientific community will play a role in addressing this emergency. Robust support for climate research and forecasting, including the social sciences to address human and ecological impacts, will be necessary to meet this global challenge.

The science makes it clear that bold action is needed to address the climate crisis. The undersigned scientific community is not only up to the challenge, but also stands ready to assist you with solutions.

 

[1] The conclusions in this and the preceding paragraph reflect the scientific consensus represented by, for example, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the U.S. National Academies, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Many scientific societies have endorsed these findings in their own statements, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, American Statistical Association, Ecological Society of America, and Geological Society of America.  

 

Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

American Anthropological Association

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Astronomical Society

American Chemical Society

American Geophysical Union

American Institute of Biological Sciences

American Meteorological Society

American Psychological Association

American Public Health Association

American Society for Microbiology

American Society of Agronomy

American Society of Animal Science

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

American Society of Plant Biologists

American Society of Plant Taxonomists

American Society of Primatologists

American Sociological Association

American Statistical Association

American Thoracic Society

Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation

Association of Ecosystem Research Centers

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium

Botanical Society of America

Consortium for Ocean Leadership

Consortium of Social Science Associations

Crop Science Society of America

Ecological Society of America

Entomological Society of America

Geological Society of America

Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology

National Association of Marine Laboratories

Natural Science Collections Alliance

Organization of Biological Field Stations

Society for Freshwater Science

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Society for Mathematical Biology

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles

Society of Nematologists

Society of Systematic Biologists

Soil Science Society of America

The American Society of Naturalists

The Helminthological Society

The Herpetologists’ League

The Oceanography Society

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

 

 

 

[1] The conclusions in this and the preceding paragraph reflect the scientific consensus represented by, for example, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the U.S. National Academies, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Many scientific societies have endorsed these findings in their own statements, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, American Statistical Association, Ecological Society of America, and Geological Society of America.