Lincoln Chafee: “earlier this week I met with Senator Byrd to discuss S. Res. 98, which, of course, deals with climate change. In this…”

“earlier this week I met with Senator Byrd to discuss S. Res. 98, which, of course, deals with climate change. In this measure, the Senator has identified one of the more important features required to address this global problem, namely, global participation. Gradually, many have come to the conclusion that man is indeed contributing to changes in the global climate. Human activities-- particularly the burning of fossil fuels--have increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other trace greenhouse gases. These gases, combined with the natural levels of CO2 and water vapor, act like panes of a greenhouse and retain the Sun's heat around the earth. The burning of fossil fuels has continued to grow, at least in ever greater amounts of CO2. Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels reached a record of just over 6 billion tons in 1995. The Earth's climate has remained stable for the past 10,000 years. But, as Ambassador Paul Nitze said in the Washington Post earlier this month, "Global warming threatens the stability that fostered modern civilization." What is being done about this threat?”