Knoxville — A new report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group has linked the rising costs of extreme weather events with rising pollution levels and global temperatures.
Dr. Henry Spratt, a UT-Chattanooga biologist and environmental scientist, said the public should contact their legislators and share their concerns.
“People need to realize that if they do nothing, there are special interest groups that are lobbying very heavily to make sure that their viewpoint holds,” Spratt said. “The bulk of these special interest groups are the fossil fuel industry and the automobile industry.”
Spratt said legislators could help reduce global warming by passing laws that force the automobile industry to raise the fuel efficiency of gasoline-powered vehicles.