“The canary in the coal mine has keeled over. It’s past time for us to heed the warning and act on climate by eliminating pollution.” — Andrea McGimsey, Environment America

Media Contacts

Environment America

U.S. Government report unveiled today concludes that it is “extremely likely” that human activities are the “dominant cause” of global warming — especially pollution from dirty fuels like coal, oil and gas. The report is part of the fourth National Climate Assessment, a research project mandated by Congress in 1990.

Andrea McGimsey, Global Warming Solutions Director for Environment America, issued the following statement in response:
 
“Miners used to carry canaries in cages to warn them when dangerous gases had built up, warning them to exit the tunnels immediately.
 
This report makes it clear that the canary in the coal mine has keeled over. It’s past time for us to heed the warning and act to eliminate pollution from dangerous fuels like coal, oil and gas.
 
Our nation’s best scientists are loudly ringing the alarm bell in this report. Global warming is real. We are the cause. The impacts are serious. We only have a short time to act. To avoid the worst climate threats, we need to stop burning virtually all fossil fuels and transition to clean, renewable energy by no later than 2050. The faster we move, the better.
 
We urge the Trump Administration to read its own report, change course and embrace clean energy. The administration should abandon efforts to weaken important programs that reduce pollution, including the Clean Power Plan and Clean Cars Standards – and instead work with the rest of the world to preserve conditions on our planet in which our civilization can continue to thrive.
 
And while the federal government continues to embrace denial and delay, we urge state and local governments – and business leaders – to take the lead.
 
For example, nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic governors – including five Republicans and four Democrats – are now finalizing a new plan to cut global warming pollution from power plants in the region another 30 percent by 2030.
 
Local leaders all over the country can and should replicate and build on that success and do more to advance clean energy, cut global warming pollution, and secure a safe future for our children. The time to act is now.