INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A new report from the U.S
government on the impacts of climate change on society indicates that unless action is taken, climatological events could cost the country
nearly half a trilliondollars annually by 2090.
The National Climate Assessment is a Congressionally mandated report on the impacts of
climate change and was culled from the work of 300 authors in a dozen federal agencies
The 1,000-page report covers the effect of climate change on agriculture, labor, geography and health in the United States.
It the second
volume of a report intended to give federal policymakers information on how global warming will impact the United States.
It also comes at a
time when the current administration is doing everything to refute the mounting evidence coming from inside its own agencies and shirk its
national and international commitments to mitigating the effects of global climate change.
As its own reports reveal the disaster of
climate inaction, Trump proposes climate inaction
The report provides a stark picture of what to come for the United States if action
Many of the changes that climate change will bring to the country will be irreversible, according to the study.
In the absence of more
significant globalmitigationefforts, climate change is projected to impose substantial damages on the U.S
economy, human health, and the environment
Under scenarios with high emissions and limited or no adaptation, annual losses in some sectors are estimated to grow to hundreds of
billions of dollars by the end of the century
It is very likely that some physical and ecological impacts will be irreversible for thousands of years, while others will be
permanent.
There is hope that the world can still change course and reverse the effects associated with climate change
In fact, the study says that near-term mitigation efforts should begin showing results by the middle of the century
Ideally, it&ll let scientists know what steps they&re taking are working and what aren&t.
Manyclimate changeimpacts and associated economic
damages in the United States can be substantially reduced over the course of the 21st century through global-scale reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions, though the magnitude and timing of avoided risks vary by sector and region
The effect of near-term emissions mitigation on reducing risks is expected to become apparent by mid-century and grow substantially
thereafter.
But for the scientists that collected the data and assembled the report, the evidence of the human impact of climate change is
now incontrovertible.
Observations from around the world show the widespread effects of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations on Earth
High temperature extremes andheavy precipitation eventsare increasing
Glaciers and snow cover are shrinking, and sea ice is retreating
Seas are warming, rising, and becoming more acidic, and marine species are moving to new locations toward cooler waters
Flooding is becoming more frequent along the U.S
Growing seasons are lengthening, and wildfires are increasing.
While the federal government may not be willing to take action to curb the
emissions that contribute to global warming, states, led by California, increasingly are developing legislation to mitigate or reduce carbon
emissions and to create adaptation strategies for dealing with a warming climate.
Venture capitalists also are beginning to commit
significant capital to technologies focused on alternative energy generation, energy storage, emissions reduction and energy conservation
that all fall under the category of sustainable solutions.
Indeed, the public offering for the vegetarian consumer food company, Beyond
Meat, shows that there a growing market for investments in companies that promote a more sustainable lifestyle.
And early-stage accelerator
programs like Y Combinator are getting into the game, calling for startups that are developing technologies to reduce the emissions that
are contributing to global warming.
Y Combinator issues a request for geo-engineering startups because climate change is real and we&re all
going to die
The new report from the government paints a dire picture for the future if nothing is done, but, as the investment and
technology community once again mobilizes to develop potential solutions, there a chance that things may not be completely hopeless yet.
The
critical step will be if the U.S
government will heed the advice of its own scientists and take steps to encourage greater action to what is increasingly looking like the
biggest threat to human welfare.
