Common ground on climate change

Via Andy Revkin (@Revkin)



Joe Romm points out that the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee released its draft climate assessment on Friday. Here are a few of the key findings:

1. Global climate is changing, and this is apparent across the U.S. in a wide range of 2 observations. The climate change of the past 50 years is due primarily to human activities, 3 predominantly the burning of fossil fuels.
2. Some extreme weather and climate events have increased in recent decades, and there is 9 new and stronger evidence that many of these increases are related to human activities.
3. Human-induced climate change is projected to continue and accelerate significantly if 16 emissions of heat-trapping gases continue to increase.
4. Impacts related to climate change are already evident in many sectors and are expected 22 to become increasingly challenging across the nation throughout this century and beyond.
5. Climate change threatens human health and well-being in many ways, including impacts 34 from increased extreme weather events, wildfire, decreased air quality, diseases 35 transmitted by insects, food, and water, and threats to mental health.

The full report is available in a single file (nearly 150MB) or as individual chapters (30 numbered chapters plus appendices and other material). The climate cliff is upon us.