Global Warming
Global warming is one of the most serious challenges facing us today. To protect the health and economic well-being of current and future generations, we must reduce our emissions of heat-trapping gases by using the technology, know-how, and practical solutions already at our disposal.
Features
Status of U.S.Comprehensive Climate and Energy Legislation
The House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act in June 2009. For this bill to become law during the 111th Congress, the Senate must pass similar comprehensive climate and energy legislation. Several climate and energy bills have been released in the Senate in the last year, but the full Senate has yet to vote on a single one.
The Weight of the Evidence
UCS is leading a campaign to elevate the voices of climate scientists around the country to disprove fallacies and educate the public about the real facts on global warming. Click on the link above to see how you can help.
Costs of Climate Inaction
Unchecked climate change could saddle taxpayers with hundreds of billions of dollars in damages—from flooding and storm damage in coastal communities to health care costs and agricultural losses in our heartland. Learn about costs in your region, and the Senate bill aimed at limiting our climate impact.
New Study Shows Sensible Path to Clean Energy Economy
Climate 2030: A National Blueprint for a Clean Energy Economy found that implementing a smart set of climate, energy, and transportation policies can save consumers and businesses money while deeply reducing our nation's heat-trapping emissions.
Successes
Recent successes in Global Warming include:
- Worked with allies in Congress to craft strong climate policy
- Coordinated U.S. scientists and economists statement with over 2,000 signatures calling for emissions reductions
- Engaged aspiring writers and photographers to submit entries to an online book—Thoreau’s Legacy: American Stories About Global Warming
- Educated policy makers and mobilized activists on nation’s first program limiting carbon emissions from power plants
- Played lead role in developing a regional cap-and-trade program in the Midwest
- Helped win legislation in Minnesota to fund a study of cap-and-trade auctions
- Supported international climate negotiations by highlighting the role an agreement on reducing tropical deforestation can play in our report Out of the Woods
Analysis
Allowance Allocations in the 2009 House & Senate Climate Bills
UCS analysis on the provisions in the Senate and House Climate bills that determine how the allowance value, created under the cap-and-trade program, will be divided.
Climate Impacts to U.S. Midwest
The Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Midwest series shows that without strong action to reduce heat-trapping emissions, midwestern states could face dramatic changes.
New Study Shows Sensible Path to Clean Energy Economy
Climate 2030: A National Blueprint for a Clean Energy Economy found that implementing a smart set of climate, energy, and transportation policies can save consumers and businesses money while deeply reducing our nation's heat-trapping emissions
A Target for U.S. Emissions Reduction
This UCS report explains why the U.S. must cut heat-trapping emissions by 80 percent.
Impacts of California's Global Warming Law
A December 2009 analysis of California's AB 32 law limiting emissions shows that even if California’s small businesses do nothing to decrease their energy use over the next 10 years, they will likely experience only a small and manageable impact from the state’s policies to reduce global warming pollution.
In Clean Energy section:
Coal Power in a Warming World
This report describes how coal plant emissions may be cut substantially in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
and
A Better Climate Bill
This UCS analysis shows that raising efficiency and renewable electricity standards as part of a comprehensive climate bill can increase benefits for consumers and industry.
In Nuclear Power section:
Nuclear Power in a Warming World
This report describes the role nuclear power should play as a climate change solution.
Campaigns
The Weight of the Evidence
UCS is leading a campaign to elevate the voices of climate scientists around the country to disprove fallacies and educate the public about the real facts on global warming. Click here to learn more and to see how you can help.
Click here to read about the Union of Concerned Scientists' campaign to pass federal climate legislation and how you can help.
We have an historic, but short, window of opportunity to win adoption of policies that will begin curbing global warming pollution. In June 2009, the House of Representatives took a historic vote to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation that would put in place a nationwide plan to rein in global warming pollution and establish a cleaner approach to our nation's energy system. Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) are working on a similar comprehensive climate and energy bill in the U.S. Senate.
Now, we need your help to put a strong bill over the finish line. Please urge your senators to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year.
Resources
Quick Facts about Global Warming Science:
See our Global Warming FAQ page for the real answers and information!
Debunking the Climate Contrarians:
Our Global Warming Contrarians page exposes recent misinformation and gets to the facts behind "Climategate."
Our 2007 report Smoke, Mirrors and Hot Air documents ExxonMobil's tobacco-like disinformation campaign on global warming science.
Migrating Climates:
The Migrating Climates feature provides a visualization of the effects of climate projections by estimating where selected states in the Great Lakes region and the Northeast will have "moved" climatically over the next century.
For students and teachers:
Cool It! Global Warming Card Game
Cool It! is the new card game from UCS that teaches kids about the choices we have when it comes to climate change-and how policy and technology decisions made today will matter.
For scientists:
Northeast Climate Impacts Database
This web-based database provides registered users with free access to most of the climate data generated for the Northeast Climate Impacts Report, including projected changes this century in temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, snow cover, and more that can be expected in the Northeast under higher and lower emission scenarios.
