The Environmental Protection Agency officially announced today that greenhouse gases are a danger to human health.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson made the announcement at a news conference this afternoon. The statement finalizes an initial “endangerment finding” made last April, and sets the stage for U.S. action at home as officials from across the world gather in Copenhagen to forge an international solution to global warming.
The EPA news release and video from the news conference are now up on agency’s web site.
Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp praised the decision, saying:
The danger of global warming pollution is clear and present, the solutions are at hand, and the time for action is now. It’s time for Congress to finish its work on U.S. legislation to cap and reduce the 19 million tons of heat-trapping pollution we emit every day. American leadership on climate change will strengthen our security, wean us off of foreign oil, and ensure that America wins the race to clean energy innovation in the global market place.
You can read more about the issue in EDF’s full statement.