The latest National Climate Assessment (NCA), a 1,656-page report, was issued by the US govt. on Black Friday, in the hopes of burying its findings away from the collective conscience of the nation. It is no wonder, given the contents of the multi-agency report, that the administration wants to hide it and de-fund the agencies and groups working on climate science. The NCA’s assessment is quite clear and bleak — we are in trouble. Here are a few key findings in the report -
Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.
Without substantial and sustained global mitigation and regional adaptation efforts, climate change is expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property and impede the rate of economic growth over this century.
Rising temperatures, extreme heat, drought, wildfire on rangelands, and heavy downpours are expected to increasingly disrupt agricultural productivity in the United States. Expected increases in challenges to livestock health, declines in crop yields and quality, and changes in extreme events in the United States and abroad threaten rural livelihoods, sustainable food security, and price stability.
Our Nation’s aging and deteriorating infrastructure is further stressed by increases in heavy precipitation events, coastal flooding, heat, wildfires, and other extreme events, as well as changes to average precipitation and temperature. Without adaptation, climate change will continue to degrade infrastructure performance over the rest of the century, with the potential for cascading impacts that threaten our economy, national security, essential services, and health and well-being.
Coastal communities and the ecosystems that support them are increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change. Without significant reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions and regional adaptation measures, many coastal regions will be transformed by the latter part of this century, with impacts affecting other regions and sectors. Even in a future with lower greenhouse gas emissions, many communities are expected to suffer financial impacts as chronic high-tide flooding leads to higher costs and lower property values.
trump even tried a preemptive tweet earlier in the week, pooh-poohing global warming and climate change, which is in line with what the GOP and its climate-change-denying donors have done over the past several decades. Wait for the RW noise machine to start braying about fake news and mocking scientists by pointing to some snow fall in some corner of the country.
The NCA is published every 4 years. The first volume of NCA4 was released this time last year. Volume I focused more on the science of climate change.
Here are some responses from the media. Most of them use stark images and headlines to present the gravity of the report.
Let’s share the news and tweets with everyone we know. We need to shout from rooftops about global warming, write about climate science, and make sure every individual understands the truth and the stakes for humanity. Let’s keep exposing the criminal negligence, incompetence and greed of trump and the entire republican establishment. And let us support our scientists and Democratic leaders as they tackle these issues in spite of billions of dollars worth of smear campaigns that will be coming soon.
Even climate-change-denier WSJ chimed in -
Reporting by the Science Media -
More International Reports and News
Reactions from Democratic Leaders
There is plenty being done, but we need US leadership
Let’s retweet, write, educate and spread the info. as if there is no tomorrow!