This is a big week for Climate Change. The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen began Dec. 7th and will come to a close Dec. 18th; hopefully ending with a strong international agreement to combat greenhouse gas emissions. On the first day of the conference, the US EPA made a major announcement:
that they now officially view greenhouse gas emissions as a threat to human health and the environment. This “endangerment finding” gives the EPA the right to regulate CO2 and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Judging from statements from leading political figures, it appears that the EPA would prefer for Congress to take meaningful action against climate change, but that they are prepared to regulate these pollutants if the legislative branch fails to do so.
Up-to-date information on the UN Climate Change Conference can be found at: http://en.cop15.dk/
More information on the EPA’s Endangerment Finding can be viewed at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html
Other Posts by Johnnie Chamberlin
Johnnie Chamberlin currently lives and works in Bloomington, IN. He holds a MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University and a degree in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley. Johnnie has years of experience in environmental conservation, outreach, and policy work. He is the author of "Trails of Little Rock: A Guide to Little Rock's Land and Water Trails". In his free time he enjoys hiking, kayaking, backpacking, and reading in his hammock. For more on Chamberlin's work with the Little Rock, Arkansas Fourche Creek Watershed Initiative go to www.fourchecreek.org
