Businesses that see global warming as a hoax just got punched in the nose.

America’s most prestigious scientific organization, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), has released three reports that totally dismiss denier theories about global warming and its causes and effects.

The bad news from NAS: “Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities and poses significant risks for — and in many cases is already affecting — a broad range of human and natural systems.”

Plus, NAS broke its usual traditional standoffish approach and called on EPA and Congress to aggressively regulate GHGs emissions.

There are still many deniers who object to proposed cap-and-trade bills and who would like to create an American Climate Truth Commission. But it will be hard for them to prove that the NAS somehow lacks stature.

Meanwhile, Congress remains locked in a stalemate this summer over what, if anything, to do about creating a GHG cap-and-trade program and a national energy policy. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) is trying to develop a compromise cap-and-trade bill that would limit the GHG cap to utilities.

Others legislators are dreaming about an energy-only bill that would promote nuclear power and renewable energy to help reduce American dependence on imported oil.

But environmental groups will never sign on to an energy-only bill. National environmental lobbying groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council still insist that now’s the time to force a cap-and-trade bill through Congress.

Bottom line: Lack of action by Congress on cap-and-trade ensures that EPA will plow ahead with Clean Air Act rules to force nearly 16,000 facilities to start reducing GHG releases next year.