Climate Change and American Policy

Climate change has long been a contentious issue, even before its official acknowledgment as a global threat in 1979. Government policies have varied widely, from Barack Obama’s dedication to environmentalism to George W. Bush’s tacit minimizing of the problem to Republican officials’ refusal to acknowledge the scientific evidence supporting anthropogenic climate change. Presented chronologically, this collection of important policy-shaping documents shows how the views of both advocates and deniers of climate change have developed over the past four decades.

The late John R. Burch, Jr., was the Library Director and a professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Compiled and edited by John R. Burch, Jr.
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 340
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6527-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2685-7
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1
Declaration of the World Climate Conference 7
The Global 2000 Report to the President: Entering the ­Twenty-First Century (Major Findings and Conclusions) 11
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer (Excerpts) 16
Message to the Senate Transmitting the Montreal Protocol on Ozone-Depleting Substances 33
Statement of Dr. James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies 35
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990: Title IV (Excerpt) 39
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 45
Senate Resolution 98 [Report No. 105–54] (Byrd-Hagel Resolution) 65
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 68
Statement on the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change 90
Climate Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change (Summary) 92
Letter to Members of the Senate on the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change 97
Global Climate Change Policy Book: Executive Summary 99
Climate Stewardship Act of 2003 104
Hot & Cold Media Spin Cycle: A Challenge to Journalists Who Cover Global Warming 128
Atmosphere of Pressure: Political Interference in Federal Climate Science (2007) (Executive Summary) 141
Massachusetts et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency et al. (Syllabus) 147
H. Res. 593—Congratulating scientists F. Sherwood Rowland, Mario Molina, and Paul Crutzen for their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone, that led to the development of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer 153
Global Warming Twenty Years Later: Tipping Points Near 156
Secretary Chu’s Remarks at the Harvard University Commencement—As Prepared for Delivery 161
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States (Executive Summary) 167
Safe Climate Act (Excerpt) 173
Remarks by the President at the Morning Plenary Session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 177
Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act: Final Rule (Introduction) 180
Copenhagen Accord 197
Richard A. Muller: Statement to the Committee on Science, Space and
Technology of the United States House of Representatives 201
2013 Highlights of Progress: Responses to Climate Change by the National Water Program (Excerpt) 206
Climate Change Impacts in the United States (Overview and Report Findings) 213
One City Built to Last: Transforming New York City’s Buildings for a
­Low-Carbon Future (Executive Summary) 223
U.S.–China Joint Announcement on Climate Change 234
Senate Bill 66: To Prohibit Any Regulation Regarding Carbon Dioxide or Other Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction in the United States until China, India, and Russia Implement Similar Reductions 238
Governor Brown Establishes Most Ambitious Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target in North America 240
National Security Implications of ­Climate-Related Risks and a Changing Climate 243
Federal Plan Requirements for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electric Utility Generating Units Constructed on or Before January 8, 2014; Model Trading Rules; Amendments to Framework Regulations (Executive Summary and Organization and Approach for this Proposed Rule) 254
Remarks by the President at the GLACIER Conference—Anchorage, AK 262
Joint Meeting to Hear an Address by Pope Francis of the Holy See 268
Fact Sheet: The United States and China Issue Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change with New Domestic Policy Commitments and a Common
Vision for an Ambitious Global Climate Agreement in Paris 271
NASA Study: Mass Gains of Antarctic Ice Sheet Greater than Losses 277
Sen. Cruz Confronts the Dogma of Climate Change Alarmism: “Public Policy Should Follow Actual Data, Not Political and Partisan Claims That Run Contrary to Evidence” (Opening Statement) 280
Adoption of the Paris Agreement: Proposal by the President: Draft
Decision–/CP.21 282
Bibliography 319
Index 329

• “Its chronological organization and succinct analyses make this a solid reference source”—Library Journal
• “Recommended”—Midwest Book Review.