“This report is the most reliable and comprehensive statement of what scientists know about global warming. The world’s best scientists are warning that our planet is being remade from the upper atmosphere to the ocean’s depths as a result of human activity. This report leaves no room for doubt, and it has never been clearer that Congress has no time to waste.

“The clarity and completeness of the IPCC’s global warming findings permanently relegate skeptics to the fringe. Lawmakers should move quickly to adopt mandatory measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation helps serve as a down payment toward that goal.”

Congress is on the verge of undertaking serious policymaking on global warming for the first time, the Audubon Society also reports. Recently, Sens. Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced a resolution that urges the United States to go back to the international bargaining table. Other proactive measures have been introduced by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) and Barack Obama (D-IL), and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who recently introduced her own bill, is launching hearings. In the House, Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) is introducing a comprehensive bill, and Reps. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and John Olver (D-MA) have just introduced their bipartisan bill.

Note: OrganicAuthority.com publishes science news so organic consumers have access to the latest information on climate change and threats to our environment. You can view more posts on climate change by visiting the Environment Section of our blog.

Book Picks of the Day: Audubon Walking America: A Year on Wilderness Trails 2007 and Audubon Walking Calendar 2008.

• The New York Times: Science Panel Calls Global Warming ‘Unequivocal’
• The Washington Post: Global Warming Unstoppable, Report Says
• The Los Angeles Times: U.N. Says There’s No Stopping Global Warming

These stories follow the release of a devastating report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which points the environmental finger at the way humans pollute the planet.

The IPCC is composed of the world’s leading scientists and climate experts, and its report was produced by approximately 600 authors from 40 countries, with more than 620 expert reviewers from 113 nations. They have resoundingly concluded that human activities are accelerating global temperatures.

To be released in four comprehensive volumes, the report can be summarized simply: Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases have caused most of the global temperature rise observed since the mid-20th century.

“There can be no question that the increase in these greenhouse gases is dominated by human activity,” confirms IPCC Working Group Cochair Susan Soloman, with records from 10,000-year-old ice cores showing a dramatic rise in greenhouse gases from the onset of the industrial era.

The bottom line: “an accelerating transition to a warmer world—an increase of 3°C is expected this century—marked by more extreme temperatures including heat waves, new wind patterns, worsening drought in some regions, heavier precipitation in others, melting glaciers and Arctic ice, and rising global average sea levels.”

“Momentum for action is building,” says Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme. “This new report should spur policymakers to get off the fence and put strong and effective policies in place to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.”

Tune in tomorrow for the panel’s specific conclusions.

Note: OrganicAuthority.com publishes science news so organic consumers have access to the latest information on climate change and threats to our environment. You can view more posts on climate change by visiting the Environment Section of our blog.