Climate Change "Has Moved Firmly into the Present," Latest NCA Federal Report States

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Climate change is already negatively affecting every region in the United States and the future looks even more dismal if coordinated mitigation and adaptation efforts are not immediately aggressively pursued, according to the third U.S. National Climate Assessment report releasedย Tuesday.

โ€œClimate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present,โ€ notes the massive NCA report.

โ€œCorn producers in Iowa, oyster growers in Washington State, and maple syrup producers in Vermont are all observing climate-related changes that are outside of recent experience. So, too, are coastal planners in Florida, water managers in the arid Southwest, city dwellers from Phoenix to New York, and Native Peoples on tribal lands from Louisiana toย Alaska.โ€

The report adds evidence of human-induced climate change continues to strengthen and that impacts are increasing across the nation. The report says Americans are already noticing the results of climate change, from longer and hotter summers to shorter and warmer winters. Rain falls in heavier downpours, there is more flooding, earlier snow melt, more severe wildfires and less summer sea ice in theย Arctic.

โ€œScientists who study climate change confirm that these observations are consistent with significant changes in Earthโ€™s climatic trends,โ€ says the report that was prepared by hundreds of scientists for the U.S.ย government.

โ€œPrecipitation patterns are changing, sea level is rising, the oceans are becoming more acidic, and the frequency and intensity of some extreme weather events areย increasing.โ€

The climatic changes are triggering wide-ranging impacts in every region of the U.S. and throughout the nationโ€™s economy, the report says, adding that while some of the changes can be positive over the short run, most are detrimental since American society and its infrastructure was not designed for the rapidly-changing climate now beingย experienced.

The report analyses impacts on human health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, forests, and ecosystems. It also assesses impacts on the countryโ€™s eight majorย regions.

โ€œWhat is new over the last decade is that we know with increasing certainty that climate change is happening now,โ€ the report says. โ€œWhile scientists continue to refine projections of the future, observations unequivocally show that climate is changing and that the warming of the past 50 years is primarily due to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. These emissions come mainly from burning coal, oil, and gas, with additional contributions from forest clearing and some agriculturalย practices.โ€

Noting that the climate is projected to continue to change over this century and beyond, the report says there is still time to act to limit the amount of change and its damagingย impacts.

The report says U.S. average temperature has increased by 1.3ยฐF to 1.9ยฐF since 1895, with the most recent decade being the nationโ€™s and the worldโ€™s hottest onย record.

Temperatures are projected to rise another 2ยฐF to 4ยฐF in most areas of the U.S. over the next few decades. The report says by the end of this century, a roughly 3ยฐF to 5ยฐF rise is projected under a lower emissions scenario, which would require substantial reductions in emissions, while a higher emissions scenario assuming continued increases in emissions, predominantly from fossil fuel combustion, would result in a 5ยฐF to 10ยฐFย rise.

Many scientists suggest that the safe and manageable level of global temperature rise due to climate change should not exceed 3.6 ยฐF (2ยฐC) above pre-industrialย levels.

โ€œClimate change poses a major challenge to U.S. agriculture because of the critical dependence of agricultural systems on climate,โ€ the reportย says.

โ€œThe United States produces nearly $330 billion per year in agricultural commodities. This productivity is vulnerable to direct impacts on crops and livestock from changing climate conditions and extreme weather events and indirect impacts through increasing pressures from pests andย pathogens.โ€

โ€œClimate change will also alter the stability of food supplies and create new food security challenges for the United States as the world seeks to feed nine billion people byย 2050.โ€

Water quality and quantity are already being affected by climate change, the report says, adding changes in precipitation and runoff, combined with changes in consumption and withdrawal, have reduced surface and groundwater supplies and increasing the likelihood of water shortages for manyย uses.

The report adds that climate change affects human health in manyย ways.

โ€œIncreasingly frequent and intense heat events lead to more heat-related illnesses and deaths and, over time, worsen drought and wildfire risks, and intensify air pollution,โ€ the report says.

โ€œIncreasingly frequent extreme precipitation and associated flooding can lead to injuries and increases in waterborne disease. Rising sea surface temperatures have been linked with increasing levels and ranges of diseases. Rising sea levels intensify coastal flooding and storm surge, and thus exacerbate threats to public safety duringย storms.โ€

The report says that Americans face choices as the impacts of climate change are becoming more prevalent. It adds that some additional climate change impacts are now unavoidable because of past emissions of long-lived heat-trappingย gases.

โ€œThe amount of future climate change, however, will still largely be determined by choices society makes about emissions. Lower emissions of heat-trapping gases and particles mean less future warming and less-severe impacts; higher emissions mean more warming and more severeย impacts.โ€

The report may give President Barack Obama more power to deal with climate change, the environment and energy issues through administrative amendments during his last 2.5 years in office. On Tuesday, the White House issued a media release saying the report underscores โ€œthe need for urgent action to combat the threats from climate change, protect American citizens and communities today, and build a sustainable future for our kids andย grandkids.โ€

Lou Leonard, the World Wildlife Fundโ€™s vice president for climate change, said the report provides a pathway for Americans to choose a more beneficialย future.

โ€œWe need to use this practical report as a guidebook for preparing local communities for extreme weather and other climate impacts,โ€ Leonard said. โ€œAt the same time, we need to transform the way we produce and use energy, leaving dirty coal, oil and gas behind. There is no time toย lose.โ€

Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune applauded the report and urged the Obama administration to promote clean energy solutions like wind and solar power. โ€œWe can create good American jobs and power homes and businesses nationwide without polluting our air, water, or climate,โ€ Bruneย said.

Image Credit: Map showing consecutive dry days from NCA reportย website

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