EPA Sent Memo to Employees Telling Them to Call Climate Change Into Question

The EPA sent out a memo to staffers filled with questionable talking points.

The Environmental Protection Agency, the agency establish to protect human health and the environment, doesn't seem to think that we should be taking climate change that seriously (or at least, doesn't want to fess up to it.)

This week, a leaked email sent to EPA staff members reveals "talking points" guiding them on how to downplay the impact humans are having on the environment. The email was obtained by the Huffington PostEPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, along with several officials in Trump's cabinet, have argued against the current state of our climate, going against virtually all scientific research conducted on the topic.

“Human activity impacts our changing climate in some manner,” one of the talking points reads. “The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of that impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue.”

Another point notes that, while there has been "extensive" research conducted about the rising sea levels, increasing temperatures and thinning of Earth's ozone layer, “clear gaps remain including our understanding of the role of human activity and what we can do about it.”

A federal report published in November 2017 called the Climate Change Special Report, found that the burning of fossil fuels used for energy and other human emissions are, without a doubt, the cause of global warming, Mashable points out. Pruitt has been quoted as saying that we cannot know for sure how much climate change is human-based vs. natural, which is also reflected in the leaked talking points. However, this information is already out there. The November 2017 Climate Change report also determined that humans account for 92 to 123 percent of the temperature change observed between 1951 to 2010.

In addition to the doubtful language about climate change, the list instructs regional officials to tell people that the EPA “promotes science that helps inform states, municipalities and tribes on how to plan for and respond to extreme events and environmental emergencies.” It also says the agency “recognizes the challenges that communities face in adapting to a changing climate” and “will continue to advance its climate adaptation efforts.”

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