2010/08/13 13:14洪美惠
摘譯自2010年7月29日ENS美國華府報導，王元才編譯，蔡麗伶、莫聞審校
美國環保署最近駁回來自十個單位的請願書，陳情單位包括全美商會、維吉尼亞州、全美最大的煤炭商Peabody Coal等，他們要求環保署撤銷之前「人為活動造成的溫室氣體危害公眾健康及福祉」的研究報告。
2009 年11月，環保署確認人為活動所排放的溫室氣體導致氣候變遷，是確實且正在發生的，並且危害人類健康及自然環境。這樣的結論促使當局援用清淨空氣法 (Clean Air Act)規範溫室氣體的排放。但請願團體主張氣候科學不可信，並強調讓IPCC、美國國家科學院、美國全球氣候變遷研究成果受質疑的「氣候門」事件。
不過，環保署7月29日正式公告：經過數月認真審核請願內容和氣候變遷實情後，他們找不到支持該訴願的證據；相反地，環保署更告明確表示「氣候暖化是 確實可信、真實的，也在持續加劇中」。美國環保署署長潔克森(Lisa Jackson)表示，「我們的根據是來自世界各地及美國的科學性報告、資料及數據。而反對者的請願，僅根據是他們自己片面的剪輯、偏離這些報告內文的資 料及捏造的爭議，以便混淆我們的判斷。無可否認的，過量的溫室氣體真的是人類健康福趾的一大威脅。」
美國環保署的新聞稿指出，「科學證據足 以支持我們的報告是正確的、令人信服的；現在氣候正在變遷中，正是人類的所造成的。多方面的證據顯示，過去百年來的暖化、北極冰山及全球各地冰川的消融、 上升的海洋溫度、上升的海平面、變調的降雨模式、生態系及野生動物棲地的變遷模式，都確立我們氣候正在改變。」
抵抗人為暖化說 美國商業團體仍不死心
針 對環保署的決定，美國商會(U.S. Chamber of Commerce)傾向再提出上訴，全美商業法律中心(National Chamber Litigation Center)副執行長Robin Conrad說，「美國商會、決策者、商業團體、州政府及全美各行各業，都強烈關注環保署這份報告對就業及區域經濟所帶來負面影響；我們深感失望，環保署 並未檢討以清潔空氣法限制溫室氣體的缺失。我們會再上訴。」
潔克森則回應，只想維持現狀會拖累全美在清潔能源方面的進展，更好的辦法是加入美國多數人的期望──希望更多的綠領工作、更乾淨的能源革新、戒除污染地球和危及國家安全的石油上癮。」
非 營利機構「科學家關懷聯盟」(Union of Concerned Scientists )贊同EPA在科學的基礎上做了對的決定。該聯盟執行長Kevin Knobloch表示，「環保署決定拒絕這些要求，是基於幾十年來的研究及實地觀測，其中包7000個持續取得全球溫度資料的氣象觀測站。暖化警訊已出現 30多年了，而最近十年還是過去130年有紀錄以來最熱的。」
Knobloch接著補充說，最近熱浪侵襲讓所有人都受不了，這就是最好的例 證──極端的溫度是人類健康一大威脅，如果我們不立刻且大幅減少溫室氣體排放，熱浪會越來越頻繁且嚴重，最後變成夏天的常態。「熱浪已經導致熱相關的死亡 和疾病不斷地增加，特別是窮人、小孩和老人，而且還有變本加厲的趨勢。」
美環保署一一駁斥「氣候門」質疑
針對訴願指稱，從東英格蘭大學氣候中心流出的電子郵件證實了全球氣溫資料受操弄的陰謀(即所謂「氣候門」事件)；美國環保署則回應說，這些電子郵件的內容，只是科學家直來直往地討論從龐雜資料中出現的問題，此說法和另外四個獨立審查的結論也相符合。
訴願者還說，IPCC在2007年出版的第四次評估報告，整份都有問題。環保署則說在三千多頁的報告中只確認了兩項錯誤：一是喜瑪拉雅山冰河退卻的速度，二是荷蘭土地低於海平面的百分比；而IPCC之後都已發布聲明更正這兩項錯誤。這兩項錯誤也不影響環保署的決定，也不影響基本的事實──氣候變遷正在威脅我們的健康和福祉。
訴願者聲稱有些研究並沒有納入IPCC的評估報告中，顯示IPCC偏頗與報告並不可信。環保署則回應這樣的說法「不正確」，「這些研究都納入IPCC的報告裡，該報告已權衡了廣泛的氣候科學探討文獻。」
最後，這些訴願者還說有多個最新研究反駁溫室氣體有害報告的論據。環保署則說這是訴願者「錯誤解釋」了研究報告，其實，他們所列舉的新研究，其結果和環保署結論是相符的；另外還有一些訴願者提出的研究，則欠缺堅實的研究方法來支撐其論點。
延伸閱讀:
※ 撤銷「重新審查『根據空氣清潔法202 (a)條例，溫室氣體危害成因及報告』訴願聲明書」環保署官方聲明稿。※氣候變遷組織第四次評估報告。EPA Rejects Petitions to Reverse Climate Change Endangerment FindingWASHINGTON, DC, July 29, 2010 (ENS)
The Environmental Protection Agency today turned back 10 petitions from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Peabody Coal and others that asked the agency to rescind its scientific finding that heat-trapping greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
In December 2009 the EPA determined that climate change is real, is occurring due to emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, and threatens human health and the environment. This determination triggers the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
The petitions to reconsider EPA's Endangerment Finding claim that climate science cannot be trusted, and assert a conspiracy that invalidates the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
"After months of serious consideration of the petitions and of the state of climate change science," the agency said today that it can find "no evidence" to support these claims.
By contrast, EPA's review shows that "climate science is credible, compelling, and growing stronger."
"The endangerment finding is based on years of science from the U.S. and around the world. These petitions, based as they are on selectively edited, out-of-context data and a manufactured controversy, provide no evidence to undermine our determination. Excess greenhouse gases are a threat to our health and welfare," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
The scientific evidence supporting EPA's finding is "robust, voluminous, and compelling," the agency asserts on its website.
"Climate change is happening now, and humans are contributing to it," the EPA states. "Multiple lines of evidence show a global warming trend over the past 100 years. Beyond this, melting ice in the Arctic, melting glaciers around the world, increasing ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, altered precipitation patterns, and shifting patterns of ecosystems and wildlife habitats all confirm that our climate is changing."
But Robin Conrad, executive vice president of the National Chamber Litigation Center, today said the U.S. Chamber of Commerce intends to appeal the EPA's denial of its petition.
"The U.S. Chamber, policymakers, numerous trade groups, state governments, and businesses throughout the country have collectively raised strong concerns about the significant negative impact EPA's endangerment finding will have on jobs and local economies," said Conrad.
"We are deeply disappointed with the EPA's failure to reconsider its flawed decision to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. We intend to appeal the ruling."
"Defenders of the status quo will try to slow our efforts to get America running on clean energy. A better solution would be to join the vast majority of the American people who want to see more green jobs, more clean energy innovation and an end to the oil addiction that pollutes our planet and jeopardizes our national security," Jackson said.
The nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists says the EPA made the right decision based on science.
"The EPA's decision to reject these claims is backed by decades of research and on-the-ground observations, including from more than 7,000 weather stations that take air temperatures around the world," said UCS President Kevin Knobloch. "Pronounced warming has occurred over the last 30 years, and the last decade has been the hottest in 130 years of recordkeeping."
"Anyone who sweltered through the recent heat waves can attest to the fact that extreme temperatures are a threat to human health," Knobloch said. "If we don't swiftly and deeply reduce our emissions, heat waves are likely to occur more often and be more severe, eventually making these temperatures commonplace in summer."
"Heat waves already have led to an increase in heat-related deaths and sicknesses, especially among the poor, children and the elderly, and this trend is likely to get worse," he warned.
The petitioners say that emails disclosed from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit provide evidence of a conspiracy to manipulate global temperature data.
The EPA responds that its review of every one of these emails found "this was simply a candid discussion of scientists working through issues that arise in compiling and presenting large complex data sets." Four other independent reviews came to similar conclusions.
The petitioners say that errors in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, issued in 2007, call the entire body of work into question.
The EPA reponds that of the alleged errors, EPA confirmed only two in a 3,000 page report. The first pertains to the rate of Himalayan glacier melt and second to the percentage of the Netherlands below sea level. IPCC issued correction statements for both of these errors.
The errors have no bearing on Administrator Jackson's endangerment decision. None of the errors undermines the basic facts that the climate is changing in ways that threaten our health and welfare.
The petitioners say that because certain studies were not included in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, the IPCC itself is biased and cannot be trusted as a source of reliable information.
The EPA responds that these claims are "incorrect." In fact, the agency says, "the studies in question were included in the IPCC report, which provided a comprehensive and balanced discussion of climate science."
Finally, the petitioners say that new scientific studies refute evidence supporting the Endangerment Finding.
But the EPA responds that the petitioners "misinterpreted" the results of these studies. Contrary to their claims, many of the papers they submit as evidence are consistent with EPA's endangerment finding.
"Other studies submitted by the petitioners were based on unsound methodologies," the agency says. Detailed discussion of these issues are found in Volume One of the response to petition documents,http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions.html
全文及圖片詳見：ENS報導
