Watchdog sounds the carbon alert
begin quote from:
A government report warns of massive costs if global emission rates don't decline
Government report calls on Trump to act on climate change
Story highlights
- The report outlined massive economic consequences of inaction
- The Trump administration has curtailed some key efforts to reduce carbon emissions
Washington (CNN)A government report released Monday is sounding an alarm over the threat of climate change, and the government's response.
The
US government has spent more than $350 billion over the past decade in
response to extreme weather and fire events, and the Government
Accountability Office report estimated the US would incur far higher
costs as the years progress if global emission rates don't go down.
In
the report, GAO called on President Donald Trump to use the information
GAO compiled to help identify risks posed by climate change and "craft
appropriate federal responses."
The US has seen billions of dollars in damage from hurricanes and wildfires this year, which experts say
climate change exacerbated. Congress is due this week to consider
another multi-billion dollar aid package to help Puerto Rico after it
was hit by back-to-back hurricanes.
The
GAO provides nonpartisan information to members of Congress, including
audits of government activities and reports about public policy. Its
latest report was requested by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington.
The New York Times first reported the existence of the GAO climate change report.
The
Obama administration took several steps to combat the severity of
climate change over the next century. Among them was the Environmental
Protection Agency's clean power plan, which sought to lower carbon
emissions on a state-by-state basis, and the Paris climate agreement,
which saw almost every country agree to voluntary limits on future
carbon emissions.
The Trump administration has in many respects changed course, with Trump announcing in June his intention for the US to exit the Paris agreement and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announcing the end to the clean power plan this month.
The
report outlined years' worth of shortcomings from the government with
respect to addressing the climate change threat. By February 17, the
report found that federal agencies were working on some strategic
planning efforts, but the nature of those was unclear.
Some of those efforts, the report said, were rescinded when Trump issued an executive order in March.
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