To the Journal editor:

According to the World Meteorological Organization, the time from 2015 through 2023 was the warmest 9-year period in terms of global average temperature since at least the 1880s. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also reports January through October was the warmest first 10 months of any year on record.

The great majority of the most qualified scientists in my field of atmospheric science believe the increasing concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide), which trap heat near the Earth’s surface, are the major cause of this record warmth. In fact, NOAA reports the concentration of carbon dioxide reached an all time high 426.9 parts per million in May 2024 at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory shows the current atmospheric concentrations of several greenhouse gases at https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has conclusively determined that human activity (burning fossil fuels, deforestation and land use changes) is the cause of these increasing concentrations.

Rick Spinrad, the NOAA administrator, has stated: “We must recognize that these are clear signals of the damage carbon dioxide pollution is doing to the climate system, and take rapid action to reduce fossil fuel use as quickly as we can.” In addition to the global warming, NOAA reports there were an annual record 28 weather-related disasters in the U.S. that caused at least $1 billion in damage in 2023. This 2023 surge in weather extremes is in line with a September 2022 WMO report stating that human-caused global warming/climate change has caused weather-related disasters to increase fivefold over the last 50 years. The WMO warns that unless humans reduce the burning of the dirty fossil fuels as well as the deforestation responsible for this climate change, these disastrous impacts will only get worse in the future. Another advantage of moving away from fossil fuels is that the reduction in demand for oil will punish the economies of dangerous countries like Russia and Iran.

If we don’t take the necessary action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow this dangerous climate change, the significant weather-related impacts listed above as well as events like the flooding that struck the Houghton area on Father’s Day 2018 and the lack of snow that did not allow the Marquette Mountain ski hill to open frequently last winter will become more likely.

The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022 to help reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030. The IRA would do this by providing incentives to use more clean energy and investing in green technology to boost manufacturing. According to a recent article in Time Magazine, the IRA in 2023 enabled over 2 million families to claim $2 billion in credits for residential home improvements to boost sustainability, such as installing heat pumps or more efficient air conditioners. More than one million families claimed over $6 billion in credits for residential clean-energy investments like solar electricity generation and battery storage. This past January, the U.S. Treasury established a tax credit for electric vehicle purchases, which by June had been used for more than 150,000 EVs, saving consumers over $1 billion.

Unfortunately, the incoming Trump Administration is likely to weaken or repeal the IRA. To help support the IRA and action to slow climate change, I urge your readers to contact our congressional representatives by visiting their websites or calling 202-224-6221 for Senator Peters, 202-224-4822 for Senator Stabenow and 202-225-4735 for Rep. Bergman and tell them to maintain this important legislation. You can also contact Senator-elect Elissa Slotkin via her website or by calling 202-225-4872.