Commencing with the April 2, 2007, decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency , reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has been at the center of environmental debate. Legislative proposals considered in Congress and state legislatures, administrative actions including new findings and rules promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and court challenges and judicial decisions have constituted components of the mosaic of climate change activities.
When described as the increase in global temperatures of only a few degrees, climate change may seem benign. In reality, climate disruption extends far beyond mere temperature rise, and its effects may be catastrophic. In June 2009, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), approved and transmitted to the president and Congress a report by its federal advisory committee summarizing the science of climate change and the impacts of climate change on the United States. This report noted: “Observations show that warming of the climate is unequivocal” and “is due primarily to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. These emissions come mainly from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas), with important contributions from the clearing of forests, agricultural practices, and other activities.”
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