Global Climate Change
A statement from the American Geological Institute
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Global climate change is one of the major policy issues facing the United States. The policy decisions that face our Nation’s leaders must be based on the best available scientific information. The American Geological Institute (AGI) strongly supports education concerning the scientific evidence of past climate change, the potential for future climate change due to the current building of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and the policy options available. AGI recognizes that:

Earth science is central to questions concerning climate change. Understanding the interactions between the solid Earth, the oceans, the biosphere and the atmosphere both in the present and over time is critical for accurately analyzing and predicting global climate change due to natural processes and possible human influences.

The Earth’s climate has changed continuously through geologic time and will undoubtedly change in the future. Geological, geochemical, paleontological and other evidence indicates that some of the changes that occurred in the past have been rapid--occurring within decades.

Because rapid climate change would have significant economic and social impacts on our society, further research is required to elucidate geological, chemical and biological interactions responsible for past climate change and to evaluate how these processes shape our climate today. Further research is also required to evaluate the relative impact of human activity on global climate and the interaction of such activity with the underlying natural processes. In particular, studies are needed to better understand past rapid climate change and sequestration of carbon in rock, soil and biomass. This research deserves high priority in federal funding.

Uncertainty is inherent to our understanding of complex natural systems, particularly with respect to prediction of the future behavior of such systems. Such uncertainty must be communicated to and taken into account by policy-makers.

The American Geological Institute is a federation of 35 member societies. The societies’ 100,000 individual members represent a broad array of interests and expertise in the earth sciences. This statement has been endorsed by the elected leadership of the American Geological Institute and the 1998-1999 presidents of the following member societies:

American Association of Petroleum Geologists
American Institute of Professional Geologists 
Association for Women Geoscientists 
Association of American State Geologists
The Clay Minerals Society
Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers
Geological Society of America
International Association of Hydrogeologists/U.S. National Chapter
National Association of Geoscience Teachers
North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature
Paleontological Research Institution
The Society for Organic Petrology
Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM)
Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Soil Science Society of America

posted Feb. 4, 2000