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Satellite photos from a U.S. spy plane that were recently declassified by President Obama reveal evidence of climate change that the Bush administration kept hidden.  I’m not entirely shocked that Bush and company tried to keep the public in the dark, I only hope that the startling images of polar ice sheets that are increasingly retreating in the summer months, will help motivate the Senate to take action on the proposed climate bill.  The high resolution accuracy of the satellite photos strongly support the understanding that rising levels of human-made greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to a substantially changing climate.

If we don’t drastically curb our carbon output, those ice shelves will continue to recede, eliminating vital habitats and hunting grounds for polar bears, seals, and other animals.  The ice also reflects solar radiation and without it’s protective coverage the Arctic sea could warm exponentially.  The Bush administration’s woefully irresponsible secrecy has delayed critical information needed to move forward on the climate crisis, hopefully we can redouble our efforts to make up for lost time.  Unfortunately it doesn’t help when climate-monitoring satellites crash or grow too old to do much good.  Take action below to help get us back on track.