Earlier this month, the federal government released the Fifth US Climate Action Report, which will be submitted by the U.S. government to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat.
The Report is one of the most significant documents on U.S. policy initiatives and actions to address climate change. It also provides a review of federal efforts “…to increase scientific understanding of climate change, and provide foreign assistance to help other nations mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.”
Below are highlights from the draft report, which is currently open for public comment. They were assembled by The Project on Climate Science, a coalition of environmental groups.
"The findings of this draft report demonstrate the serious commitment and efforts by the U.S. government to better understand and raise awareness of climate change–and to identify actions needed to help mitigate its impacts," the group said on its website. "This document highlights the strong scientific foundation on which policy decisions are being made."
1. “Global warming is unequivocal and primarily human-induced.” Chapter 6, pg. 87
“Global temperature has increased over the past 50 years. This observed increase is due primarily to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases.”
2. “Climate changes are underway in the United States and are projected to grow.” Chapter 6, pg. 87
“The air and oceans are warming, mountain glaciers are disappearing, sea ice is shrinking, permafrost is thawing, the great land ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica are showing signs of instability, and sea level is rising. The consequences for human well-being are already being felt: more heat waves, floods, droughts, and wildfires; tropical diseases reaching into the temperate zones; vast areas of forest destroyed by pest outbreaks linked to warming; alterations in patterns of rainfall on which agriculture depends; and coastal property increasingly at risk from the surging seas. All of these impacts are being experienced in the United States and globally” Chapter 8. pg. 121
3. “The impacts from climate change are very real and severe, and will impact our lives in countless ways.” Executive Summary pg. 7
“… the nation is increasingly vulnerable to current and projected [climate] changes.” Chapter 6, pg. 87
“…key vulnerabilities [associated with climate change], include the potential for water scarcity, unreliable energy production and transmission, damage to transportation infrastructure, public health problems, damage to ecosystems, and catastrophic harm to coasts and coastal communities.” Executive Summary pg. 7
4. “Climate change will stress water resources.” Chapter 6, pg. 87
“Drought, related to reduced precipitation, increased evaporation, and increased water loss from plants, is an important issue in many U.S. regions, especially in the West.”
“Floods, water quality problems, and impacts on aquatic ecosystems and species are likely to be amplified by climate change in most regions.”
5. “Crop and livestock production will be increasingly challenged.” Chapter 6, pg. 87
“…increased heat, pests, water stress, diseases, and weather extremes will pose adaptation challenges for crop and livestock production.”
6. “Coastal areas are at increasing risk from sea level rise and storm surge.” Chapter 6, pg. 87
“Sea level rise and storm surge place many U.S. coastal areas at increasing risk of erosion and flooding, especially along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts… Energy and transportation infrastructure and other property in coastal areas are very likely to be adversely affected.”
7. “Threats to human health will increase.” Chapter 6, pg. 87
“Health impacts of climate change include heat stress, waterborne and foodborne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents.”
8. Climate change will interact with many social and environmental stresses. Chapter 6, pg. 87
“Climate change will combine with air and water pollution, population growth, over- use of resources, urbanization, and other social, economic, and environmental stresses to create larger impacts than from any of these factors alone.”
9. “Thresholds will be crossed, leading to large changes in climate and ecosystems.” Chapter 6, pg. 88
“With further climate change, the crossing of additional thresholds is expected.”
10. “Future climate change and its impacts depend on choices made today.” Chapter 6, pg. 88
“The latest and best scientific information forms the bedrock on which effective policy to combat and cope with climate change must be built.” Chapter 8, pg. 121
“It is critical that climate scientists and climate science agencies play a more active role in the dissemination of their findings. The public and students at all levels—in both formal and informal learning settings—must have access to climate data in ways that foster climate literacy and informed decision making.” Chapter 9 pg. 140
“…the nation has a considerable way to go in comprehending and realizing the implications of climate change.” Chapter 9, pg. 141
11. “Overall, total U.S. emissions rose by 17 percent from 1990 through 2007.” pg. 5
“…CO2 from fossil fuel combustion has accounted for approximately 79 percent of global warming potential-weighted emissions since 1990.”
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