A sweeping new report by the White House warns that climate change poses devastating consequences that are already transpiring across regions of the United States when it comes to the economy, public health, transportation, energy, water and agriculture.
“Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present,” the report warns. Called the “U.S. National Climate Assessment,” the White House said the report unveiled Tuesday was developed over four years with input from the country’s top climate scientists and outside organizations.
The findings, if action isn’t taken, include heat waves and coastal flooding in the Northeast, decreased water availability in the Southeast, extreme heat waves in the Midwest, damage to agriculture in the Great Plains and wildfires and water scarcity in the Southwest. The White House says the findings “underscore the need for urgent action” to combat threats from climate change.
An interactive version of the study can be found at this link, while the report — and an accompanying fact sheet — can be read below.