The Fifth US National Climate Assessment is out today!
Why is this important?
Read the report here: [ Ссылка ]
Too many people still think of climate change as an issue that is distant from us: in space, time, and/or relevance. NCA5 clearly explains how climate change is affecting us here, in the places where we live; both now, and in the future; and across every sector of human and natural society. It shows how, if we live in the US, the risks matter — and so too do our choices.
I’ve served as a lead author since NCA2. What’s new today?
People across the US are now exposed to climate risks on a regular basis. Today we can document the risks we face per degree of warming; the extent to which climate change is fuelling individual record-breaking weather extremes; and the interconnectivity and vulnerability of our systems, from socio-economics to national security. As the report concludes, “with every additional increment of global warming, costly damages are expected to accelerate."
Not everyone is affected by climate change equally, and we can now document much more clearly how the impacts fall disproportionately on those who have done the least to contribute to the problem and how they exacerbate social inequities, including racial and gender-based disparities. Thankfully, there is also growing recognition that climate solutions must also be solutions for justice and equity. As the report concludes, “climate action can create a more resilient and just country” — and I agree!
The good news is that climate action is occurring at far greater a scale than before. Since NCA4, the report documents a 32% increase in city and state-level adaptation plans & action, while US emissions have continued to decrease and renewable energy has boomed. But this is still not happening quickly enough. We need to be building resilience across regions and sectors; but if we do not reduce our emissions, the risks and the costs we face will be too high to successfully adapt to.
Progress is being made, thanks to historic legislation like the Inflation Reduction Action and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as well as efforts like the America the Beautiful Initiative and American Climate Corps. All of these broaden the tent, emphasizing how we can’t do it alone -- but we can together. NCA is another step forward in that direction.
