U.S. EPA's Global Warming Site is "Not Like the Others"

When I was a kid, I loved watching the part on Sesame Street where they showed you several things that were similar. Then they asked you "Which one of these things is not like the other? Come on, can you tell me which one?" Even little kids could plainly see one of the things was different.

That little song started playing in my head when I compared the U.S. EPA's website on Global Warming to other official government websites on global warming. Read for yourself. I think you'll agree. The US EPA's Global Warming Site is "Not Like the Others".

Official Government Websites on Global Warming

United Kindom's DEFRA -
Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today. Rising global temperatures will bring changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The effects will be felt here in the UK and internationally there may be severe problems for people in regions that are particularly vulnerable to change.

Environment Canada -
Human activities are altering the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the build-up of greenhouse gases that trap heat and reflect it back to the earth's surface. This is resulting in changes to our climate, including a rise in global temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events.

Germany's Umweltbundesamt -
The rate and degree of climate change, which took place during the 20th century are
unprecedented – for example the current temperatures on the Northern Hemisphere are probably the warmest for at least 2000 years. Since 1950, there has been a pronounced increase in the damage caused by natural disasters and flooding.

Only a small fraction of this climate change can be explained by natural factors such as eruptions of volcanoes, changes in solar activity or deviations in the Earth’s orbit around the sun. In the scientific community there is overwhelming consensus that the main cause of climate change is human activity, in particular the emission of greenhouse gases.

Swedish EPA -
Our future climate is everyone's responsibility. To succeed in limiting our contribution to global warming, we must be prepared to take responsibility today for the world our children will live in tomorrow. Here we present information about climate policy, international climate negotiations, the causes and effects of global warming and how you as an individual can reduce your influence on the climate.

The threat of climate change is one of the most difficult environmental problems faced by humankind. All countries are affected and all contribute to the problem and we will all have to face the consequences in some way or other. We know that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases can influence the climate and the temperature increase witnessed during the 20th century can only be explained by the increased emissions of carbon dioxide from our use of coal, oil and natural gas which make up the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions.

US EPA -
Uncertainties
Like many fields of scientific study, there are uncertainties associated with the science of global warming. This does not imply that all things are equally uncertain. Some aspects of the science are based on well-known physical laws and documented trends, while other aspects range from 'near certainty' to 'big unknowns.'

What's Known for Certain?
It's well accepted by scientists that greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and tend to warm the planet. By increasing the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, human activities are strengthening Earth's natural greenhouse effect. The key greenhouse gases emitted by human activities remain in the atmosphere for periods ranging from decades to centuries.

What's Likely but not Certain?
Figuring out to what extent the human-induced accumulation of greenhouse gases since pre-industrial times is responsible for the global warming trend is not easy. This is because other factors, both natural and human, affect our planet's temperature. Scientific understanding of these other factors – most notably natural climatic variations, changes in the sun's energy, and the cooling effects of pollutant aerosols – remains incomplete.

Nevertheless, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated there was a "discernible" human influence on climate; and that the observed warming trend is "unlikely to be entirely natural in origin."

In short, scientists think rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are contributing to global warming, as would be expected; but to what extent is difficult to determine at the present time.

Where's the Beef?
The U.S. EPA doesn't seem to place the same emphasis as the other nations.
Is it not the most serious problem facing the world today like the rest of the world thinks?
According to The New York Times, it might not be the EPA's own opinion that's posted on their website. It might be the opinion of a lobbyist for the Oil Industry hired by President Bush to "soften" global warming data.

Read more about Philip Cooney.