AmericaBlog: Earth facing a "tipping point" as Bush remains in denial

by Joe in DC - 1/28/2006 09:39:00 PM

An environmental double whammy from the two big papers. From the NY Times, we see how the Bush Administration spends their time silencing scientists who warn about climate change -- there's a post below on that article. Meanwhile, we learn from the Washington Post that the earth is approaching an environmental tipping point:

Now that most scientists agree human activity is causing Earth to warm, the central debate has shifted to whether climate change is progressing so rapidly that, within decades, humans may be helpless to slow or reverse the trend.

This "tipping point" scenario has begun to consume many prominent researchers in the United States and abroad, because the answer could determine how drastically countries need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years. While scientists remain uncertain when such a point might occur, many say it is urgent that policymakers cut global carbon dioxide emissions in half over the next 50 years or risk the triggering of changes that would be irreversible.