A new climate change report was released by the United States Government outlining what impacts our country will most likely face due to climate change. The assessment is Volume II of a mandated report from the Paris Climate Accords, titled Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States. 13 federal agencies contributed to the report including NOAA, NASA, and the Department of Defense. It also represents an accumulation of over 300 authors and decade’s worth of research. The report, released on black Friday, was likely an attempt from the current administration to bury it on the largest shopping day of the year.
The findings show an inescapable situation, affecting every person on the planet in some way. Temperatures could rise 11 degrees Fahrenheit, the sea level could rise by 6 feet, and the costs could reach 10% of our total GDP mitigating adapting to the situation.
Here are the Key findings:
- By 2100, the southwest region could see 45 more days per year above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, causing many deaths and costing $140 billion by 2090.
- Extreme temperatures will cause the United States to lose 2 billion labor hours per year by 2090, costing $160 billion in lost wages.
- Changing climate will expand the geographic range of disease carrying insects, possibly contributing to more outbreaks and putting many people at risk for Malaria, Zika, West Nile, and others.
- Allergic illnesses like asthma will be more frequent and more severe.
- Sea levels have already risen 8 inches, 3 of which occurring since 1993.
- Property values on coasts may see losses of $507 billion by 2100 as a result of being below sea level.
- Ocean acidification will cause enormous losses to the fishing and recreation industries.
- Our electrical grid is at risk of failure as weather becomes unpredictable and forest fires occur more frequently.
There will hundreds of billions of dollars of losses to the economy if there isn’t enough action to reduce emissions. Along with this bleak report, a hopeful sentiment saying the innovation and technology to make this transition happen exists, it is now a matter of implementation.
Read the Full Report Here.