Washington DC – Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-TX) today reviewed the most recent portion of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) fourth assessment on climate change.  The latest portion of the report, Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, is slated to be released tomorrow morning in Brussels. 

Whereas the Working Group I portion of the report, released in February, stated with at least 90 percent confidence that the earth is indeed warming, the newly released portion examines impacts of climate change and illustrates more uncertainty within the scientific community.

“First off, I would like to thank the diverse group of scientists who came together from all over the world for putting together this comprehensive report,” Hall said.  “I look forward to examining the report in more detail to learn exactly what we do and do not know about the impacts, adaptation and mitigation of climate change. 

“I look forward to hearing from a few of the scientists who authored this report in our upcoming hearing, and getting feedback on what Congress should do to address this issue in a way that promotes our continued economic growth and energy independence.  We need to develop technological solutions that help us tap into America’s vast domestic energy resources, so that we can continue to deliver clean reliable and affordable energy to our citizens, while reducing emissions.”   

The Science and Technology Committee will hold a hearing examining this portion of the report on Tuesday, April 17 2007.