The Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) highlights adaptation, carbon reduction strategies for reducing risks
Some of the key findings from the report are:
- Actions taken now to accelerate net emissions reductions and adaptation to ongoing changes can reduce risks for current and future generations.
- Climate change exacerbates long-standing social inequities experienced by underserved and overburdened communities, contributing to persistent disparities in the resources needed to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate impacts. Low-income and communities of color face higher risks of illness and death from extreme heat, climate-drive floods and air pollution compared with White people, and often lack access to adequate flood infrastructure, green spaces, safe housing and often lack protective resources.
- Climate change is harming physical, mental, spiritual and community health and well-being.
- The impacts of extreme climate events are costing the nation an estimated $150 billion each year. With every increment of global warming, costly damages are expected to accelerate. For example, 2 degrees Fahrenheit of warming is projected to cause more than twice the economic harm induced by 1 degree F of warming. High annual temperatures and tropical cyclones are associated with lower growth in GDP.
- Climate action can result in near-term benefits that outweigh the costs, with the potential to improve well-being, strengthen resilience, benefit the economy and redress legacies of racism and injustice.
- Acre for acre, Blue Carbon Ecosystems, such as sea grasses, mangroves and saltmarshes, are estimated to store about twice as much carbon below ground than terrestrial vegetation. With conservation and restoration, these ecosystems could sequester enough carbon each year to offset about 3 percent of global emissions (based on 2019 and 2020 emissions).
- By 2050 and by 2100, sea level rise under the Intermediate Sea Level Scenario, is projected to be higher along the Atlantic (about 1.25 and 4 feet, respectively) versus Pacific coast (0.75 and 3 feet), and greatest along the western Gulf coast(2 and 5 feet).
- Hurricanes have been intensifying more rapidly since the 1980s and causing heavier rainfall and higher storm surges due to climate change. There is no long-term trend in the frequency of landfalling hurricanes in the U.S. since the late 19th century, but there has been an increase in hurricane activity in the North Atlantic since the early 1970s.
- Climate change has impacted commercial marine fisheries in every region of the U.S. by altering the availability and quality of harvested species, destabilizing fisheries-related revenue and employment, and causing new management challenges.
- While climate change is not the sole driver affecting fish populations, it is an added stressor that exacerbates other negative impacts.
- Over the next century, climate change is expected to reduce fish and shellfish catch in all U.S. regions, including some of the highest-valued fisheries…