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                  EPA: Fighting Climate Change Will Save Lives

   by VOA News

   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says failure to act on
   global warming will kill hundreds of thousands of Americans by the end
   of the century and cost the country trillions of dollars.

   The EPA issued a new report Monday, spelling out the consequences of
   what could happen if the world's temperature climbed a staggering 5
   degrees Celsius by 2100 because of inaction.

   EPA chief Gina McCarthy said "We can save tens of thousands of American
   lives and hundreds of billions of dollars annually in the United States
   by the end of this century. But the sooner we act, the better off
   America and future generations of Americans will be."

   The report was put together by the EPA and several leading independent
   laboratories.

   It says tens of thousands of American deaths from extreme temperatures
   and poor air quality in cities could be avoided each year by taking
   action.

   Trillions of dollars in damage caused by storm surges and a rise in sea
   level could be saved.

   If nothing is done, the EPA says, California could see more drought,
   the west could suffer through more wildfires, and the east coast could
   be battered by heavy rains and storm surges.

   Most scientists say human activity, including burning fossil fuels like
   coal and oil, create emissions that cause global warming. They say the
   cost of doing nothing would be catastrophic for life on Earth.

   Others say climate change is caused by natural weather patterns that
   have persisted since the Earth was formed and that drastic action would
   bring economic disaster.

   Delegates from around the world will meet in Paris in December to try
   to hammer out a legally-binding agreement on tackling global warming.

   The issue drew the attention of Pope Francis who said in a letter to
   the world's Catholics last week that "Humanity is called to recognize
   the need for change of lifestyle, production, and consumption, in order
   to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or
   aggravate it."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/epa-fighting-climate-change-will-save
   -lives/2833510.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/epa-fighting-climate-change-will-save-lives/2833510.html