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Unit 3: Information Products

absorbing aerosol particles (IPCC, 2007). There is very little room for doubt that observed climate Notes
trends are due to human activities. The threats are serious and action is urgently needed to mitigate
the risks of climate change.
The reality of global warming, its current serious and potentially disastrous impacts on Earth system
properties, and the key role emissions from human activities play in driving these phenomena have
been recognized by earlier versions of this ACS policy statement (ACS, 2004), by other major scientific
societies, including the American Geophysical Union (AGU, 2003), the American Meteorological
Society (AMS, 2007) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, 2007),
and by the U. S. National Academies and ten other leading national academies of science (NA,
2005).

American Institute of Physics

The Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics endorsed the AGU statement on human-
induced climate change: The Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics has endorsed a
position statement on climate change adopted by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Council in
December 2003.

American Physical Society
In November 2007, the American Physical Society (APS) adopted an official statement on climate
change:
Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that
affect the Earth’s climate. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide as well as methane, nitrous
oxide and other gases. They are emitted from fossil fuel combustion and a range of industrial and
agricultural processes.
The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken,
significant disruptions in the Earth’s physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and
human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.
Because the complexity of the climate makes accurate prediction difficult, the APS urges an enhanced
effort to understand the effects of human activity on the Earth’s climate, and to provide the
technological options for meeting the climate challenge in the near and longer terms. The APS also
urges governments, universities, national laboratories and its membership to support policies and
actions that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

Australian Institute of Physics

In 2005, the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) issued a science policy document in which they
stated that the AIP supports a reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions that are leading to increased
global temperatures, and encourages research that works towards this goal.
Reason: Research in Australia and overseas shows that an increase in global temperature will
adversely affect the Earth’s climate patterns. The melting of the polar ice caps, combined with thermal
expansion, will lead to rises in sea levels that may impact adversely on our coastal cities. The impact
of these changes on biodiversity will fundamentally change the ecology of Earth.

European Physical Society

In 2007, the European Physical Society issued a position paper regarding energy:
The emission of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, among which carbon dioxide is the main
contributor, has amplified the natural greenhouse effect and led to global warming. The main
contribution stems from burning fossil fuels. A further increase will have decisive effects on life on

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