Page 82 - DLIS402_INFORMATION_ANALYSIS_AND_REPACKAGING

Unit 3: Information Products

The letter goes on to warn of predicted impacts on the United States such as sea level rise and Notes
increases in extreme weather events, water scarcity, heat waves, wildfires, and the disturbance of
biological systems. It then advocates for a dramatic reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases.

American Society for Microbiology
In 2003, the American Society for Microbiology issued a public policy report in which they
recommend “reducing net anthropogenic CO emissions to the atmosphere” and “minimizing
2
anthropogenic disturbances of” atmospheric gases:
Carbon dioxide concentrations were relatively stable for the past 10,000 years but then began to
increase rapidly about 150 years ago…as a result of fossil fuel consumption and land use change.
Of course, changes in atmospheric composition are but one component of global change, which
also includes disturbances in the physical and chemical conditions of the oceans and land surface.
Although global change has been a natural process throughout Earth’s history, humans are
responsible for substantially accelerating present-day changes. These changes may adversely affect
human health and the biosphere on which we depend.
Outbreaks of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease, hantavirus infections, dengue fever,
bubonic plague, and cholera, have been linked to climate change.

Australian Coral Reef Society
In 2006, the Australian Coral Reef Society issued an official communiqué regarding the Great Barrier
Reef and the “world-wide decline in coral reefs through processes such as overfishing, runoff of
nutrients from the land, coral bleaching, global climate change, ocean acidification, pollution”, etc.:
There is almost total consensus among experts that the earth’s climate is changing as a result of the
build-up of greenhouse gases. The IPCC (involving over 3,000 of the world’s experts) has come out
with clear conclusions as to the reality of this phenomenon. One does not have to look further than
the collective academy of scientists worldwide to see the string (of) statements on this worrying
change to the earth’s atmosphere.
There is broad scientific consensus that coral reefs are heavily affected by the activities of man and
there are significant global influences that can make reefs more vulnerable such as global warming....It
is highly likely that coral bleaching has been exacerbated by global warming.

Institute of Biology (UK)
The UK’s Institute of Biology states “there is scientific agreement that the rapid global warming that
has occurred in recent years is mostly anthropogenic, i.e., due to human activity.” As a consequence
of global warming, they warn that a “rise in sea levels due to melting of ice caps is expected to occur.
Rises in temperature will have complex and frequently localised effects on weather, but an overall
increase in extreme weather conditions and changes in precipitation patterns are probable, resulting
in flooding and drought. The spread of tropical diseases is also expected.” Subsequently, the Institute
of Biology advocates policies to reduce “greenhouse gas emissions, as we feel that the consequences
of climate change are likely to be severe.”
Society of American Foresters
In 2008, the Society of American Foresters (SAF) issued two position statements pertaining to climate
change in which they cite the IPCC and the UNFCCC:
Forests are shaped by climate....Changes in temperature and precipitation regimes therefore have
the potential to dramatically affect forests nationwide. There is growing evidence that our climate
is changing. The changes in temperature have been associated with increasing concentrations of
atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO ) and other GHGs in the atmosphere.
2

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 77