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发帖数: 7463 | 1 Climate Change Is Harming Economy, Report Says
White House Says Urgent Action Needed; Report Details Effects in Every State
A new report from the federal government says changes in the climate are
causing harm to Americans and the economy, which has caused billions in
damages and will continue to get worse. Alicia Mundy has details. Photo:
Getty.
Climate change is having a present-day, negative impact on Americans'
everyday lives and damaging the U.S. economy as extreme weather brings
flooding, droughts and other disasters to every region in the country, a
federal advisory committee has concluded.
The congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment, produced by more
than 300 experts overseen by a panel of 60 scientists, concludes that the
nation has already suffered billions of dollars in damages from severe
weather-related disruptions, which it says will continue to get worse.
Water splashes over the Center Street Dam in the swollen Des Moines River in
downtown Des Moines, Iowa, on May 30, 2013. Associated Press
The document, considered the most comprehensive analysis of the effects of
climate change on the U.S., was released by the climate advisory panel after
a final vote by the authors Tuesday morning. President Barack Obama is
planning to promote it in a series of events this week calling for action to
combat the trend, and using the report to bring public attention to climate
change-related problems.
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"This national climate assessment is the loudest and clearest alarm bell to
date signaling the need to take urgent action," said John Holdren, assistant
to the president for science and technology, during a press call on the
report.
The report, by the Federal National Climate Assessment and Development
Advisory Committee, details the effects of climate change on every state in
the country and every sector of the economy, from rapidly receding ice in
Alaska to heat waves and coastal flooding in the Northeast. Rising seas in
the South put major cities such as Miami at risk, it says.
The report pins much of the increase in climate change on human behavior. It
says, however, that it isn't too late to implement policies to reduce the
carbon emissions that cause greenhouse gases, and calls on governments at
all levels to find ways to lower emissions, particularly from energy
production.
"Over recent decades, climate science has advanced significantly. Increased
scrutiny has led to increased certainty that we are now seeing impacts
associated with human-induced climate change," the report said.
It highlights problems even at the community level, noting events like
Superstorm Sandy which destroyed much of northern New Jersey's beaches in
2012, and the heat wave in the Midwest, which the administration will use
this week to try to raise concerns among average Americans about climate
change.
The report also emphasizes adaptation—the notion that society needs to find
ways to prepare for and adjust to some of the changes.
"Every American will find things that matter to them in this report," said
one of the lead authors, Donald Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric science
at the University of Illinois.
The last climate assessment, released in 2009, said generally that climate
change is affecting the country. The new report, Mr. Wuebbles said, shows
how further shifts in each area could hurt sectors of the economy such as
transportation or force local populations to move.
The White House campaign to publicize the report will include eight
television meteorologists. Americans feel "comfortable" with local weather
reporters, who can discuss climate change warnings without being politicized
, said an administration official. The president will do one-on-one
interviews Tuesday with NBC's "Today" show co-anchor Al Roker and Ginger Zee
of ABC's "Good Morning America, as well as some regional weathercasters,
said the official.
Several authors said the strong warnings in the assessment weren't presented
to "scare" people, but to convey the importance of preparation and
mitigation in, for example, U.S. ports.
But the report will almost certainly generate pushback from conservatives,
some who say that proposed mitigation measures cost business too much and
will hurt the nation's economic recovery, and others who say it exaggerates
the problem altogether.
The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that questions climate
change, said in a statement on its website Sunday that the administration's
report "consistently reaches overly pessimistic conclusions." Its senior
environmental expert, James Taylor, said in an interview Tuesday morning, "
Keep in mind that this is a report produced for and with the Obama White
House."
Those concerned about climate changes applauded the assessment. The authors,
"show the urgency of climate change issues in major cities and small towns
across the country," said Daniel J. Weiss, senior fellow at the liberal-
leaning Center for American Progress. He said the report is too specific
about effects such as droughts, eroding shore lines and flooding to be
ignored.
The national climate assessment was mandated by Congress in 1990 as a
quadrennial review. Environmental issues haven't been among recent
administrations' hottest issues. There have only been two other reports, in
2000 and in 2009. It doesn't offer specific remedies because of its limited
scope but does suggest a need for urgency.
The report bolsters tough air and water pollution limits promoted by Mr.
Obama, administration officials said. Its release could help buffer backlash
from new regulations restricting carbon emissions from the U.S. existing
coal-fired power plants, due to be unveiled the beginning of June.
Dr. Jerry Melillo—a scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory and
chairman of the advisory committee—pointed to wide range of impacts that
are already emerging in different regions of the country, including: rising
sea levels, droughts, prolonged periods of high temperatures and more
episodes of heavy and sustained precipitation.
Miami, Norfolk, Va., and Portsmouth, N.H., were among the most vulnerable
areas because of coastal erosion and flooding if the sea level rises, the
scientists said. "In terms of the most concerning climate change-related
impacts, near or at top of the list," said Dr. Melillo, is "sea-level rise
along the vast coastlines of the U.S." There is an upper projection of a 4-
foot sea-level rise in 21st century.
—Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this article.
Write to Alicia Mundy at a**********[email protected] | c****i
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【在 m********8 的大作中提到】
: Climate Change Is Harming Economy, Report Says
: White House Says Urgent Action Needed; Report Details Effects in Every State
: A new report from the federal government says changes in the climate are
: causing harm to Americans and the economy, which has caused billions in
: damages and will continue to get worse. Alicia Mundy has details. Photo:
: Getty.
: Climate change is having a present-day, negative impact on Americans'
: everyday lives and damaging the U.S. economy as extreme weather brings
: flooding, droughts and other disasters to every region in the country, a
: federal advisory committee has concluded.
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