Climate Change Report from Federal Advisory Committee
Homeland Security Digital Library Blog 2013-01-15
Summary:
Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report
The National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee has released a report about the impact of climate change on Americans, both currently and in the future. This report "collects, integrates, and assesses observations and research from around the country, helping to show what is actually happening and what it means for peoples' lives, livelihoods, and future."
The report contains eleven findings:
- Global climate is changing, and the climate change of the past 50 years is due primarily to human activities.
- Some extreme weather and climate events have increased in recent decades, and there is new and stronger evidence that many of these increases are related to human activities.
- Human-induced climate change is projected to continue and accelerate significantly if emissions of heat-trapping gases continue to increase.
- Impacts related to climate change are already evident in many sectors and are expected to become increasingly challenging across the nation throughout this century and beyond.
- Climate change threatens human health and well-being in many ways.
- Infrastructure across the U.S. is being adversely affected by phenomena associated with climate change
- Reliability of water supplies is being reduced by climate change in a variety of ways.
- Adverse impacts to crops and livestock over the next 100 years are expected.
- Natural ecosystems are being directly affected by climate change, including changes in biodiversity and location of species.
- Life in the oceans is changing as ocean waters become warmer and more acidic.
- Planning for adaptation (to address and prepare for impacts) and mitigation (to reduce emissions) is increasing, but progress with implementation is limited.
Please note that the file linked to above is 147 MB and 1146 pages long. Readers who wish to access only certain parts of the document can click here to gain access to individual chapters.