Legal news for social responsibility attorneys. Scientific research shows greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) alerts- Greenhouse gases, also known as GHG emissions, threaten public health.

Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) http:///www.epa.gov/ revealed through recent scientific evidence that greenhouse gasses (GHGs) pose a threat to public health and welfare. A primary source of the greenhouse gases originates from on-road vehicles, which travel America’s roadways everyday, continuously releasing the harmful pollutants into our air supply and atmosphere, as reported by the EPA.

The greenhouse gases are reportedly a main component of climate change, which means the GHGs can cause hotter longer heat waves; posing a threat to the sick, elderly, and poor. In addition the GHGs produce more ground-level ozone pollution, which has been linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. With on-road vehicles creating over 23 percent of the total amount of U.S. GHG emissions, the EPA proposed news standards for light-duty vehicles, a division of on-road vehicles. The new standards would reduce the GHG emissions by about 950 million metric tons, and conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the 2012-2016 model year vehicles.

The EPA findings covered six different greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. According to the scientific consensus, GHG accumulations in the atmosphere are at a record high, which has contributed to the warming of the planet over the past 100 years. The highest increased of GHG concentrations have occurred in the recent decades.

For more information on EPA’s findings, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for social responsibility lawyers.