Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that greenhouse gas emissions represented a danger to human health. The agency released a 149-page document, presenting the grave health problems that global warming poses to people, affecting also the food and water that are indispensable.
The scientist said that “warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” adding that heat waves, wildfires, disease and smog would cause many deaths and health problems. The White House has been avoiding this analysis so it wouldn’t be necessary to regulate greenhouse gases.
“This is a long-awaited EPA analysis that has been kept under wraps by the White House. It's of critical importance because it looks at the extensive body of science demonstrating that global warming threatens Americans' health and well-being,” said Vickie Patton of Environmental Defense, according to Reuters.
Scientist warned that allergies could get more serious because there would be more pollen, smog could also become more severe leading to lung disease and extreme weather events would cause more deaths. The document appeared on EPA’s Website trying to prove that there was a clear link between public health and climate change. This study would force the Bush administration to acknowledge that things can’t remain the same and greenhouse gases have to be regulated as a pollutant under the U.S. Clean Air Act.
The White House received this information in December but officials didn’t open the e-mail. The administration said Friday that Clean Air Act was the wrong way to keep under control global warming pollution. Officials said that the public can come up with ways of reducing greenhouse gases from cars, airplanes and smokestacks under the 1970 law.
Some industry representatives said that the link between climate change and health was not that strong.
“The question is not a scientific one. It is a legal and political question, of how much impact justifies the extraordinary use of the Clean Air Act,” said Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, according to The Associated Press.
The presidential candidates Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama said they would take some measures regarding this important problem.