[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24511]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS EFFECTS ON OUR PLANET

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                           HON. MIKE McINTYRE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 17, 2007

  Mr. McINTYRE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about climate 
change and concerns that I share with many Americans about its effects 
on our planet. The Industrial Revolution ushered in a new world of 
economic opportunity and prosperity in this country, but with that also 
came major changes to the composition of the Earth's atmosphere.
  For the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and 
oil, and deforestation have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping 
greenhouse gases to increase significantly in our atmosphere. As the 
concentrations of these gases continue to increase, the Earth's 
temperature is rising to record levels. According to NOAA and NASA 
data, the Earth's average surface temperature has increased by about 
1.2 to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. The warmest global average 
temperatures on record have all occurred during the last 15 years, with 
1998 and 2005 being the hottest. And we all know how extremely hot this 
past August was--one of the hottest months on record in many parts of 
the country.
  If greenhouse gases continue to increase, climate models predict that 
the average temperature of the Earth's surface could increase from 2.5 
to 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit above 1990 levels by the end of this 
century. This phenomenon of climate change may be a reason for many 
environmental issues facing our world today. Whether it's melting polar 
ice caps, devastating floods, shriveling droughts, or sea level rise, 
every area of the globe has the potential to be affected by the impacts 
of global warming.
  The contributing factors to global warming are many and are not 
concentrated from one source. Emissions come from power plants, 
vehicles, industrial processes, agriculture, forestry, and other land 
use, and waste management. If we are to be successful in curbing our 
greenhouse gas emissions, we must institute an economy-wide application 
to protect our environment while not dislocating any vital economic 
sectors.
  Working to reduce the contributing factors of climate change also has 
the strong potential of helping the U.S. reduce its dependence on 
foreign oil. New technologies are constantly being developed for 
alternative fuels and other petroleum-based products. It is important 
that we move forward with a balanced approach to both energy 
independence and emissions reduction that takes into account impacts to 
both the environment and the economy.

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