U.S. report to detail costs of climate change as Trump downplays threat

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

POLITICS NOVEMBER 23, 2018 / 7:04 AM / UPDATED 28 MINUTES AGO

U.S. report to detail costs of climate change as Trump downplays threat

(Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday will issue a new report detailing the threat climate change poses to the economy, in what is expected to be a dire warning at odds with the Trump administration’s pro-fossil fuels agenda.

The congressionally mandated report, written with the help of more than a dozen U.S. government agencies and departments, will supplement a study issued last year that concluded humans are the main driver of global warming, and warned of potentially catastrophic effects to the planet.

“It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century,” according to that report. “There is no convincing alternative explanation ...”

This year’s report is expected to detail costs of climate change and provide scientific assessments of the risks and the extent to which people can adapt to it.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-usa/u-s-report-to-detail-costs-of-climate-change-as-trump-downplays-threat-idUSKCN1NS19D

[nitpicker]

1. Link to DW

https://www.dw.com/en/us-climate-report-warns-of-worsening-disasters/a-46433683

[nitpicker]

2. From The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/23/climate-change-america-us-government-report

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Included in the dozens of draft report chapters:
The summary states the “earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities. The impacts of global climate change are already being felt in the United States and are projected to intensify in the future.”

Average sea levels along the US coast have increased by around 9in since the early 20th century as the oceans have warmed and land ice has melted. If emissions are not constrained, “many coastal communities will be transformed by the latter part of this century”.

Fisheries, tourism, human health and public safety are being “transformed, degraded or lost due in part to climate change impacts, particularly sea level rise and higher numbers of extreme weather events”.

Wildfires have burned at least 3.7m acres in the US in all but three years from 2000 to 2016. “More frequent and larger wildfires, combined with increasing development at the wildland-urban interface portend increasing risks to property and human life,” the report states.

More than 100m people in the US live in places with poor air quality and climate change will “worsen existing air pollution levels”. Increased wildfire smoke risks heightening respiratory and cardiovascular problems, while the prevalence of asthma and hay fever is also likely to rise.

Major groundwater supplies have declined over the last century, with this decrease accelerating since 2001. “Significant changes in water quantity and quality are evident across the country,” the report finds.

Climate change will “disrupt many areas of life” by hurting the US economy, affecting trade and exacerbating overseas conflicts. Low-income and marginalized communities will be worst hit.
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