White House Quietly Releases a Comprehensive Climate Assessment Report

Michael Irving of NEW ATLAS writes:

The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report has been published, and it's filled with the kind of fairly grim news you've probably come to expect by now. The comprehensive report is the culmination of decades of environmental research by scientists from 13 federal agencies, and outlines the findings of ongoing climate studies, how the changes will affect the environment, society and the economy, and what we should be doing about it.

“This report draws a direct connection between the warming atmosphere and the resulting changes that affect Americans’ lives, communities, and livelihoods, now and in the future. It documents vulnerabilities, risks, and impacts associated with natural climate variability and human-caused climate change across the United States and provides examples of response actions underway in many communities.

It concludes that the evidence of human-caused climate change is overwhelming and continues to strengthen, that the impacts of climate change are intensifying cross the country, and that climate-related threats to Americans’ physical, social, and economic well-being are rising. These impacts are projected to intensify – but how much they intensify will depend on actions taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the risks from climate change now and in the coming decades.”