Greenhouse-Gas Pollution Confirmed

Environmental Protection Agency report supports growing call for limits on emissions in the U.S.

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Students who voted in the 2009 Kids Environmental Report Card gave the United States a "C minus" for its response to environmental issues. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made an announcement last week that may help the country get a higher grade from kids and others who are concerned about the effects of climate change.

The EPA officially declared carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gas emissions a danger to the public's health.

EPA scientists have spent the last two years studying the concentration of these six gases in Earth's atmosphere. They said their studies show extremely high levels of the harmful pollutants. 

The agency says human activities are likely the cause of the rise in greenhouse gases. The EPA also said the high concentration of the gases results in the trapping of heat in the atmosphere. This causes the temperature of Earth's atmosphere to rise—a process called global warming.

"This finding confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations," EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said on Friday.

The EPA's report says that global warming causes a range of dangers to the public's health. The most noticeable of these dangers is extreme weather.

Countries around the world have seen an increase in the number and length of heat waves and droughts in recent years. Extended periods of high temperatures with no rainfall make land dry and more prone to wildfires.

But many areas are experiencing the opposite problem. Severe storms and damage-causing floods are much more frequent. Why? As the planet warms, more water evaporates from the ocean. This transfers heat from the ocean into the atmosphere. That heat fuels storms.

Now that the EPA has linked these greenhouse gases to a danger to public health, the process of placing limits on the emissions will begin.

"Fortunately, [the EPA's findings] follow President Obama's call for a low-carbon economy, and strong leadership in Congress on clean energy and climate legislation," Jackson said.

Members of the Senate and House of Representatives are currently working on bills that propose specific limits, or caps, on greenhouse gas emissions. Limiting the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by power plants and industries is likely to curb, or slow down, the process of global warming.

If you would like to tell your congressional Representative or your U.S. Senator how you feel about climate change, global warming, and other environmental issues, use the Kids Environmental Report Card letter-writing tool to help get you started.

MORE FROM THE EPA

Scholastic Kid Reporter Madison Hartke-Weber gets more details on what the U.S. government is doing to help the environment from EPA administrator Lisa Jackson here.

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