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Climate Change in the United States: Benefits of Global Action
"The Earth's changing climate is affecting human health and the environment in many
ways. Across the United States (U.S.), temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns
are shifting, and extreme climate events are becoming more common. Scientists are
confident that many of the observed changes in the climate are caused by the increase in
greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. As GHG emissions from human activities increase,
many climate change impacts are expected to increase in both magnitude and frequency over
the coming decades, with risks to human health, the economy, and the environment.
Actions can be taken now to reduce GHG emissions and avoid many of the adverse impacts of
climate change. Quantifying the benefits of reducing GHG emissions (i.e., how GHG mitigation
reduces or avoids impacts) requires comparing projections of climate change impacts and damages
in a future with policy actions and a future without policy actions. Looking across a large
number of sectors, this report communicates estimates of these benefits to the U.S. associated
with global action on climate change."
United States. Environmental Protection Agency
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Climate Change: Better Management of Exposure to Potential Future Losses Is Needed for Federal Flood and Crop Insurance, Report to Congressional Requesters
"The May 2014 National Climate Assessment indicates that the frequency and/or severity of many weather and climate extremes may increase with climate change. Public and private property insurers can bear a large portion of the financial impact of such weather-related losses. In the public sector, federal insurance includes NFIP [National Flood Insurance Program], managed by FEMA, and the federal crop insurance program, managed by RMA [Risk Management Agency]. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review climate change's effect on insurers. This report examines (1) how federal and private exposure to losses has changed since GAO's 2007 report on the subject, and what is known about how climate change may affect insured and uninsured losses; (2) how public insurers are preparing for climate change, and any challenges they face; and (3) how private insurers are preparing for climate change and any challenges they face. GAO reviewed 20 studies, examined federal and private sector data on exposure to losses from 2000 to 2013, reviewed agency documents, and interviewed agency officials and a nonprobability sample of eight insurers and reinsurers. "
United States. Government Accountability Office
2014-10-29
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Climate Change and the Land Sector: Improving Measurement, Mitigation and Resilience of our Natural Resources
From the Executive Summary: "Recognizing the need to address this challenge [of climate change], President Obama, in his 'Climate Action Plan,' instructed agencies to identify new approaches to protect and restore America's forests, grasslands, and wetlands, and promote sustainable and climate-smart land management practices. Federal programs implemented and strengthened through the Climate Action Plan are driving down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increasing carbon sinks, and preparing our country's natural resources and communities for the impacts of climate change. These programs are also improving the data and methods we use to measure and evaluate progress, while increasing our understanding of how land-sector emissions may change in the future. Due to the complex and ever-changing nature of land sector carbon sinks and emissions, as well as the uncertain trajectory of climate change impacts on our natural resources, effectively addressing climate change in the land sector presents unique challenges that require a coordinated, multi-faceted effort by the U.S. government and other partners. Accordingly, multiple agencies have been working together to ensure that annual land sector emissions and carbon sinks can be adequately tracked in the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (referred to hereinafter as the Inventory), and that improvements in the Inventory are used to improve projections of future potential emissions."
United States. White House Office
2015-12
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Examining the Oil Industry's Efforts to Suppress the Truth About Climate Change, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, October 23, 2019
This is the October 23, 2019 hearing on "Examining the Oil Industry's Efforts to Suppress the Truth About Climate Change," held before the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. From the Opening Statement of Jamie Raskin: "Climate change is one of the preeminent emergencies facing our country. The evidence seems overwhelming that for decades the oil industry understood the lethal threat of climate change but misled the American people and buried the scientific truth of climate change. The industry has deprived the people of crucial information, with predictable and lopsided results. Working people, without the time or money to fight back against big oil, are paying the heaviest price now for climate change. [...] By funding climate denial and lobbying against governmental action, big oil has not only achieved a loud and distorting voice in the climate change debate, it has also deprived voters and policymakers of the materials and the ability necessary to make informed decisions about this fundamental challenge to the future of human existence." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Martin Hoffert, Ed Garvey, Naomi Oreskes, Sharon Eubanks, Mustafa Ali, and Mandy Gunasekara.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Assessing Health Vulnerability to Climate Change: A Guide for Health Departments
"The changing climate is linked to increases in a wide range of non-communicable and infectious diseases. There are complex ways in which climatic factors (like temperature, humidity, precipitation, extreme weather events, and sea-level rise) can directly or indirectly affect the prevalence of disease. Identification of communities and places vulnerable to these changes can help health departments assess and prevent associated adverse health impacts. The Climate and Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework to help health departments prepare for and respond to climate change. The BRACE framework is a five-step process that helps health departments to understand how climate has and will affect human health, and enables health departments to employ a systematic, evidence-based process to customize their response to local circumstances. The first step of the BRACE framework focuses on anticipating climate impacts and assessing associated health vulnerabilities. This document provides a suggested sequence of steps that health departments can undertake to assess such health vulnerabilities associated with climate change[.]"
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); National Center for Environmental Health (U.S.); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects
Manangan, Arie Ponce; Uejio, Christopher K.; Saha, Shubhayu . . .
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Global Climate Change and Wildlife [February 6, 2007]
"Recently projected climate changes could have widespread effects on wildlife species. These effects may include extinctions, changes in species' ranges, mismatches in their phenology (timing of pollination, flowering, etc.), and population declines. Other species could flourish in response to projected climate change. Effects of climate change on wildlife have been reported for some species and populations in localized areas. Many studies also show that climate change acts in concert with other variables to effect changes in species. If climate change is widespread, there is uncertainty on how wildlife will adapt. Some suggest that evolution and migration will enable species to adapt, whereas others contend that adaptation will be minimal because of limited habitat and that changes in climate may occur more rapidly than adaptation can respond to."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Corn, M. Lynne (Mary Lynne), 1946-; Leggett, Jane A. . . .
2007-02-06
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Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security
"Changes in climate patterns and their impact on the physical environment can create profound effects on populations in parts of the world and present new challenges to global security and stability. Failure to anticipate and mitigate these changes increases the threat of more failed states with the instabilities and potential for conflict inherent in such failures. Because of the increasing importance of climate change on US security, the Defense Science Board was charged with examining the need to adapt, manage, and mitigate the consequences of climate change. This report begins with an overview of the impacts of climate change over recent decades while recognizing uncertainty about the pace of future changes. It examines the political consequences of climate change as it relates to national and international security, with special attention to the African continent due to the vulnerability of African nations with high potential to intersect with United States national interests. Within this context, the study examined the roles of the Department of Defense and the national security community writ large in responding to effects of climate change in both the United States and in key areas of the globe."
United States. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
United States. Defense Science Board
2011-10
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Global Climate Change and Wildlife [Updated February 12, 2007]
From the Summary: "Recently projected climate changes could have widespread effects on wildlife species. These effects may include extinctions, changes in species' ranges, mismatches in their phenologies (timing of pollination, flowering, etc.), and population declines. Other species could flourish in response to projected climate change. Effects of climate change on wildlife have been reported for some species and populations in localized areas. Many studies also show that climate change acts in concert with other variables to effect changes in species. If climate change is widespread, there is uncertainty on how wildlife will adapt. Some suggest that evolution and migration will enable species to adapt, whereas others contend that adaptation will be minimal because of limited habitat and changes in climate that may occur more rapidly than adaptation can respond."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Corn, M. Lynne (Mary Lynne), 1946-; Leggett, Jane A.
2007-02-12
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Implications for US National Security of Anticipated Climate Change
In the Intelligence Community's (IC) analysis of the possible impacts of climate change on national security over the next 20 years, the IC takes as a scientific baseline the reports produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international body responsible for assessing the science related to climate change. This memorandum does not assess effects on the homeland, nor does it evaluate the science of the IPCC reports. [...] Long-term changes in climate will produce more extreme weather events and put greater stress on critical Earth systems like oceans, freshwater, and biodiversity. These in turn will almost certainly have significant effects, both direct and indirect, across social, economic, political, and security realms during the next 20 years. These effects will be all the more pronounced as people continue to concentrate in climate-vulnerable locations, such as coastal areas, water-stressed regions, and ever-growing cities. [...]Climate change and its resulting effects are likely to pose wide-ranging national security challenges for the United States and other countries over the next 20 years through the following pathways: [1] Threats to the stability of countries. [2] Heightened social and political tensions. [3] Adverse effects on food prices and availability. [4] Increased risks to human health. [5] Negative impacts on investments and economic competitiveness. [6] Potential climate discontinuities and secondary surprises.
National Intelligence Council (U.S.); United States. Office of the Director of National Intelligence
2016-09-21
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Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI): Budget Authority and Request, FY2010-FY2016 [February 6, 2015]
"The GCCI [Global Climate Change Initiative] is implemented through programs at three 'core' agencies: the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Most GCCI activities at USAID are implemented through the agency's bilateral development assistance programs. Many of the GCCI activities at the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury are implemented through international organizations, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Least Developed Country Fund and Special Climate Change Fund, as well as multilateral financial institutions such as the Global Environment Facility, the Clean Technology Fund, and the Strategic Climate Fund. The GCCI is funded through the Administration's Executive Budget, Function 150 account, for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. […] The Administration's FY2016 GCCI budget request is for $1,290 million, including $500 million for the recently launched United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Green Climate Fund. Congressional committees of jurisdiction over the GCCI include the U.S. House of Representatives Committees on Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, and Appropriations, and the U.S. Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations. As Congress considers potential authorizations and/or appropriations for activities administered through the GCCI, it may have questions concerning U.S. agency initiatives and current bilateral and multilateral programs that address global climate change. Some potential concerns may include cost, purpose, direction, efficiency, and effectiveness, as well as the GCCI's relationship to industry, investment, humanitarian efforts, national security, and international leadership. This report serves as a brief overview of the GCCI and its structure, intents, and funding history."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lattanzio, Richard K.
2015-02-06
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U.S. Climate Change Science Program: Vision for the Program and Highlights of the Scientific Strategic Plan
"Climate shapes the environment, natural resources, the economy, and other aspects of life in all countries of the world. Natural and human-induced changes in climate, as well as the options suggested for adapting to or slowing changes, may have substantial environmental, economic, and societal consequences. Decisionmakers, resource managers, and other interested citizens need reliable science-based information to make informed judgments regarding policy and actions. Figure 1 illustrates some of the range and complexity of the climate system elements that must be considered in addressing short- and long-term climate change issues. In May 2001, the Administration asked the National Academy of Sciences " National Research Council (NRC) to provide an updated evaluation of key questions about climate change science. Upon receipt of the NRCs report in June 2001, the President directed the relevant agencies and departments of the federal government to build on the extensive U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) to accelerate research on the most important uncertainties in climate science, enhance climate observation systems, and improve information available to decisionmakers."
Climate Change Science Program (U.S.)
2003-07
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Climate Change: USDA's Ongoing Efforts Can Be Enhanced with Better Metrics and More Relevant Information for Farmers, Report to Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives
"In 2012, the United States produced about $395 billion in agricultural commodities, with about half of this revenue from crop sales and half from livestock. According to the Third National Climate Assessment, climate change has the potential to negatively affect agricultural productivity in the United States through warmer temperatures and an increase in weather extremes. In recent years, USDA has taken actions to help U.S. farmers adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. GAO [U.S. Government Accountability Office] was asked to review USDA's climate change efforts. This review examines (1) USDA's climate change priorities and how these align with national priorities, (2) the status of USDA's climate change efforts, and (3) the challenges USDA faces in implementing its climate efforts and the steps it has taken to overcome these challenges. To conduct this work, GAO analyzed USDA documents and data and interviewed USDA officials and other knowledgeable stakeholders, such as farmers and environmental groups."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2014-09-16
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US Army Corps of Engineers, Climate Change Adaptation Policy Statement [2011]
"It is the policy of USACE [US Army Corps of Engineers] to integrate climate change adaptation planning and actions into our Agency's missions, operations, programs, and projects. USACE shall continue undertaking its climate chnage adaptation planning, in consultation with internal and external experts and with our Districts, Divisions, and Centers, and shall implement the results of that planing using the best available - and actionable - climate science and climate change information. USACE shall also continue its efforts with other agencies to develop the science and engineering research on climate change information into the actionable basis for adapting its Civil Works and Military Programs missions to climate change impacts. Furthermore, USACE shall consider potential climate change impacts when undertaking long-term planning, setting priorities, and making decisions affecting its resources, programs, policies, and operations."
United States. Army. Corps of Engineers
2011
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Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment
"Climate change threatens human health and well-being in the United States. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Climate and Health Assessment has been developed to enhance understanding and inform decisions about this growing threat. This scientific assessment, called for under the President's Climate Action Plan, is a major report of the sustained National Climate Assessment (NCA) process. The report responds to the 1990 Congressional mandate to assist the Nation in understanding, assessing, predicting, and responding to human-induced and natural processes of global change. The agencies of the USGCRP identified human health impacts as a high-priority topic for scientific assessment. The purpose of this assessment is to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based, and, where possible, quantitative estimation of observed and projected climate change related health impacts in the United States. The USGCRP Climate and Health Assessment has been developed to inform public health officials, urban and disaster response planners, decision makers, and other stakeholders within and outside of government who are interested in better understanding the risks climate change presents to human health."
U.S. Global Change Research Program
2016-04
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Climate Change: Federal Efforts Under Way to Assess Water Infrastructure Vulnerabilities and Address Adaptation Challenges, Report to Congressional Requesters
"The effects of climate change on water resources have already been observed and are expected to continue. The Corps and Reclamation own and operate key water resource management infrastructure, such as dams and reservoirs. Adaptation--adjustments in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment that exploits beneficial opportunities or moderates negative effects--can be used to help manage the risks to vulnerable resources. In 2009, a law--commonly referred to as the SECURE Water Act--and a presidential executive order directed federal agencies to address the potential impacts of climate change. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review agency actions to address climate change impacts on water infrastructure. This report examines (1) actions taken by the Corps and Reclamation since 2009 to assess and respond to the potential effects of climate change on water infrastructure and (2) challenges, if any, faced by the Corps and Reclamation in assessing and responding to the potential effects of climate change on water infrastructure, and the steps the agencies are taking to address them. GAO analyzed the agencies' climate change adaptation guidance and planning documents and interviewed agency officials and other key stakeholders, including water users, environmental groups, and researchers."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2013-11
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DHS Strategic Framework for Addressing Climate Change
From the Executive Summary: "The impacts of climate change pose both an acute and a systemic threat to the safety, security, and prosperity of the United States. This human-induced warming has already led to changes in the environment, such as rising ocean temperatures, shrinking sea ice, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification. As our climate continues to warm, the Nation will experience even more extreme climate change related disasters, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, coastal storms, and inland flooding. These hazards often disproportionately affect the Nation's most vulnerable communities. As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to support and coordinate across the homeland security enterprise to address impacts of climate change, the Department will also model best practices to mitigate our own carbon footprint and build resilient capacity to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. This Framework provides the overarching goals, principles, and lines of effort for the Department to counter the effects of climate change on the homeland and join in the global effort to mitigate climate change."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2021-10-21
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Failing to Address Climate Change Threatens the Economy
"Global temperatures are rising, and without drastic and immediate action, they will continue to rise substantially and cause significant economic harm. That is the conclusion of recent reports from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the U.S. Global Change Research Program's National Climate Assessment. As the earth warms, sea levels will rise, health outcomes will get worse, agriculture yields will decline, and extreme weather disasters will become more severe and more frequent. These changes will cost lives, force waves of human migration across the globe, upend insurance markets, and have dire consequences for the American economy. [...] Too much time is spent debating whether climate change is real, or humans' role in climate change. The science is clear on both of these points - climate change is a major threat to families and workers across the globe. Congress must stop kicking the can down the road and instead start taking action to mitigate the worst economic damages of climate change. The extreme weather disasters of recent years are just the beginning, and Congress is leaving American families woefully unprepared."
United States. Congress. Joint Economic Committee
2018-11
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Climate Change: Federal Funding and Tax Incentives [Updated August 2, 2007]
"As the prospect of climate change induced by greenhouse gases has gained increased attention, U.S. federal funding to address this issue has expanded from a few million dollars per year in the 1970s to $5.44 billion in FY2007. The rise in funding is primarily attributed to the evolution of the federal effort-from scientific research in the early years to later inclusion of technology development, voluntary and regulatory programs, and international assistance. However, the accounting of activities related to climate change also has changed somewhat over the years, introducing some uncertainty in the degree to which funding has actually increased over time. The President's FY2008 budget request includes $5.95 billion for federal programs and activities identified as addressing climate change, a 9.4% increase above FY2007. In addition to this funding, certain tax incentives may encourage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Tax incentives are not spending per se, but they do result in less revenue than would be accrued otherwise, and as such, are costs to the federal government referred to as 'tax expenditures.' The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimates climate change tax expenditures would total $1.42 billion in FY2008, an 18% decrease below expenditures of $1.73 billion in FY2007. The President's strategy on climate change is directed by the Cabinet-level Committee on Climate Change Science and Technology Integration. This strategy places management responsibility and accountability for the various programs in individual agencies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Leggett, Jane A.
2007-08-02
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Primary Protection: Enhancing Health Care Resilience for a Changing Climate
From the Introduction: "The Health Care Climate Resilience Guide and Toolkit, delivered through the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit website (toolkit.climate.gov), has been created as an initial component of the President's Climate Action Plan. The Plan included this recommendation for actions to promote resilience in the health sector: 'The Department of Health and Human Services will launch an effort to create sustainable and resilient hospitals in the face of climate change. Through a public-private partnership with the health care industry, it will identify best practices and provide guidance on affordable mea¬sures to ensure that our medical system is resilient to climate impacts. It will also collaborate with partner agencies to share best practices among federal health facilities' (Executive Office of the President, 2013). These documents have been developed for sectors and disciplines engaged in health care facility climate resilience to assist in improving response to extreme weather events and facilitate a faster return to normal or adoption of a new normal. Climate resilience, as applied to health care, is anchored by the acute care hospital, a 'high-reliability organization' that is keenly aware of, and sensitive to, broader resilience concerns. Disruptions and losses incurred by the U.S. health care sector after recent extreme weather events strongly suggest that specific guidance on managing the new and evolving hazards presented by climate change is necessary."
United States. Department of Health and Human Services
Guenther, Robin; Balbus, John M.
2014-12
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Climate Change: State Should Further Improve Its Reporting on Financial Support to Developing Countries to Meet Future Requirements and Guidelines, Report to the Ranking Member, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate
From the Highlights: "In 2009, the United States and other developed nations pledged to contribute funding approaching $30 billion in new and additional assistance between 2010 and 2012 for developing countries to address climate change. This type of assistance is called 'climate finance' and funding for this period is known as 'fast-start finance.' The pledge was made under the Framework Convention, a treaty that seeks to address climate change. State is the lead agency responsible for reporting the United States' FSF [Fast-Start Finance] contributions between 2010 and 2012 and plans to continue reporting on U.S. climate finance in the future. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review climate finance. This report examines (1) the extent to which the United States contributed to FSF, (2) how State collected and reported U.S. FSF data, and (3) what is known about the effectiveness of U.S. FSF activities. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed FSF data, interviewed agency officials, and visited three countries receiving significant FSF assistance in three regions. […] To ensure the United States meets future climate finance reporting requirements and guidelines under the Framework Convention, GAO recommends that State determine how it will collect and report climate finance information and review current capabilities for meeting the requirements and guidelines. GAO also recommends that State, in consultation with USAID [United States Agency for International Development], consider providing a budget code to improve tracking of climate change assistance. State agreed with GAO's recommendations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2013-09
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Joint Statement by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands on Climate Change and Financing the Transition to Low-Carbon Investments Abroad, March 24, 2014
"The Netherlands and the United States share a common interest in urgent action to address global climate change. We affirm the importance of reaching a global climate change agreement in 2015 that can attract broad and ambitious participation. The agreement should reflect the continuous evolution of capabilities of countries in tackling this global challenge. It should also take account of the important role played by the private sector, sub-national actors, and civil society in finding solutions to addressing carbon pollution while improving the resilience of nations to the impacts of climate change. Our two countries pledge to continue our cooperation towards adopting such an agreement at the United Nations climate conference in Paris in 2015. We reaffirm our support of internationally agreed commitments to scale up the mobilization of climate finance and recognize that different forms of financing are needed to support countries making the transition to a low-emission, climate resilient economy. We strive to deploy public resources to catalyze private climate finance in and to developing countries. We emphasize that our work to scale up climate friendly investments in developing countries is most effective when combined with reducing public incentives for high-carbon infrastructure. To this end, the Netherlands is joining the United States, the United Kingdom, and others in agreeing to end support for public financing of new coal-fired power plants abroad except in rare circumstances."
United States. Office of the Federal Register
Obama, Barack
2014-03-24
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Examining the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Process, Hearing Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, May 29, 2014
This testimony compilation is from the May 29, 2014 hearing on "Examining the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Process" held before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. From the opening statement of Lamar Smith: "The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released three working group reports on climate science -- focused on physical sciences, impacts and adaptation, and mitigation. These documents make up the Fifth Assessment Report. Similarly, the White House recently rolled out its National Climate Assessment, which takes a closer look at climate change and policy in the U.S. Both the IPCC and the White House's documents appear to be designed to spread fear and alarm and provide cover for previously determined government policies. The reports give the Obama Administration an excuse to control more of the lives of the American people. The IPCC's goal is an international climate treaty that redistributes wealth among nations. The Administration's goal is to impose greenhouse gas regulations, which will stifle economic growth and lead to hundreds of thousands of fewer jobs each year. On the heels of these catastrophic predictions, the President plans to announce next Monday his most costly climate regulations -- new climate standards for power plants." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Richard S.J. Tol, Michael Oppenheimer, Daniel Botkin, and Roger Pielke, Sr.
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2011-)
2014-05-29
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Global Climate Change [Updated September 26, 2001]
"There is concern that human activities are affecting the heat/energy-exchange balance between Earth, the atmosphere, and space, and inducing global climate change, often termed 'global warming.' Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace greenhouse gases. If these gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere at current rates, most scientists believe global warming would occur through intensification of Earth's natural heat-trapping 'greenhouse effect.' Possible impacts might be seen as both positive and negative. A warmer climate would probably have far reaching effects on agriculture and forestry, managed and un-managed ecosystems, including natural habitats, human health, water resources, and sea level depending on climate responses. Although causal relationships between projected long-range global climate trends and record-setting warmth and severe weather events of the past two decades have not been firmly established, attention has been focused on possible extremes of climate change and the need for better understanding of climate processes to improve climate model forecasts. The basic policy question is: Given scientific uncertainties about the magnitude, timing, rate, and regional consequences of potential climatic change, what are the appropriate responses for U.S. and world decisionmakers?"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Justus, John R.; Fletcher, Susan R.
2001-09-26
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Global Climate Change [Updated January 30, 2002]
"There is concern that human activities are affecting the heat/energy-exchange balance between Earth, the atmosphere, and space, and inducing global climate change, often termed 'global warming.' Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace greenhouse gases. If these gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere at current rates, most scientists believe global warming would occur through intensification of Earth's natural heat-trapping 'greenhouse effect.' Possible impacts might be seen as both positive and negative. A warmer climate would probably have far reaching effects on agriculture and forestry, managed and un-managed ecosystems, including natural habitats, human health, water resources, and sea level depending on climate responses. Although causal relationships between projected long-range global climate trends and record-setting warmth and severe weather events of the past two decades have not been firmly established, attention has been focused on possible extremes of climate change and the need for better understanding of climate processes to improve climate model forecasts. The basic policy question remains: Given scientific uncertainties about the magnitude, timing, rate, and regional consequences of potential climatic change, what are the appropriate responses for U.S. and world decisionmakers? Fossil-fuel combustion is the primary source of CO2 emissions, and also emits other 'greenhouse' gases. Because the U.S. economy is so dependent upon energy, and so much of U.S. energy is derived from fossil fuels, reducing these emissions poses major challenges and controversy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Fletcher, Susan R.; Justus, John R.
2002-01-30
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Global Climate Change [Updated October 29, 2004]
"There is concern that human activities are affecting the heat/energy-exchange balance between Earth, the atmosphere, and space, and inducing global climate change, often termed 'global warming.' Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace greenhouse gases. If these gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere at current rates, most scientists believe global warming would occur through intensification of Earth's natural heat-trapping 'greenhouse effect.' Possible impacts might be seen as both positive and negative, depending on regional or national variations. A warmer climate would probably have far-reaching effects on agriculture and forestry, managed and unmanaged ecosystems, including natural habitats, human health, water resources, and sea level, depending on climate responses. Although causal relationships between projected long-range global climate trends and record-setting warmth and severe weather events of the past two decades have not been firmly established, attention has been focused on possible extremes of climate change and the need for better understanding of climate processes to improve climate model forecasts. The basic policy question remains: Given scientific uncertainties about the magnitude, timing, rate, and regional consequences of potential climatic change, what are the appropriate responses for U.S. and world decision makers? Fossil-fuel combustion is the primary source of CO2 emissions, and also emits other 'greenhouse' gases. Because the U.S. economy is so dependent upon energy, and so much of U.S. energy is derived from fossil fuels, reducing these emissions poses major challenges and controversy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Fletcher, Susan R.; Justus, John R.
2004-10-29
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Global Climate Change [Updated March 27, 2002]
"There is concern that human activities are affecting the heat/energy-exchange balance between Earth, the atmosphere, and space, and inducing global climate change, often termed 'global warming.' Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace greenhouse gases. If these gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere at current rates, most scientists believe global warming would occur through intensification of Earth's natural heat-trapping 'greenhouse effect.' Possible impacts might be seen as both positive and negative. A warmer climate would probably have far reaching effects on agriculture and forestry, managed and un-managed ecosystems, including natural habitats, human health, water resources, and sea level depending on climate responses. Although causal relationships between projected long-range global climate trends and record-setting warmth and severe weather events of the past two decades have not been firmly established, attention has been focused on possible extremes of climate change and the need for better understanding of climate processes to improve climate model forecasts. The basic policy question remains: Given scientific uncertainties about the magnitude, timing, rate, and regional consequences of potential climatic change, what are the appropriate responses for U.S. and world decisionmakers? Fossil-fuel combustion is the primary source of CO2 emissions, and also emits other 'greenhouse' gases. Because the U.S. economy is so dependent upon energy, and so much of U.S. energy is derived from fossil fuels, reducing these emissions poses major challenges and controversy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Justus, John R.; Fletcher, Susan R.
2002-03-27
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Climate Change and Water Resources Management: A Federal Perspective
"Many challenges, including climate change, face the Nation's water managers. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided estimates of how climate may change, but more understanding of the processes driving the changes, the sequences of the changes, and the manifestation of these global changes at different scales could be beneficial. Since the changes will likely affect fundamental drivers of the hydrological cycle, climate change may have a large impact on water resources and water resources managers. The purpose of this interagency report prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to explore strategies to improve water management by tracking, anticipating, and responding to climate change."
United States. Bureau of Reclamation; Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . . .
Olsen, J. Rolf; Kiang, Julie E.; Brekke, Levi D.
2009
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U.S. National Climate Assessment: Climate Change Impacts in the United States
"This report assesses the science of climate change and its impacts across the United States, now and throughout this century. It integrates findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) with the results of research and observations from across the U.S. and around the world, including reports from the U.S. National Research Council. This report documents climate change related impacts and responses for various sectors and regions, with the goal of better informing public and private decision-making at all levels."
U.S. Global Change Research Program
2014-05
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Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment: Highlights
"This book presents the major findings and selected highlights from 'Climate Change Impacts in the United States,' the third National Climate Assessment. This 'Highlights' report is organized around the National Climate Assessment's 12 Report Findings, which take an overarching view of the entire report and its 30 chapters. All material in the 'Highlights' report is drawn from the full report. The Key Messages from each of the 30 report chapters appear in boxes throughout this document. In the lower left corner of each section, icons identify which chapters of the full report were drawn upon for that section. A key to these icons appears on page 1."
U.S. Global Change Research Program; United States. Government Printing Office
Melillo, Jerry M.; Richmond, Terese (T.C.); Yohe, Gary Wynn, 1948-
2014
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International Climate Change Financing: The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) [March 1, 2012]
From the Summary: "The United States contributes funding to various international financial institutions to assist developing countries to address global climate change and other environmental concerns. Congress is responsible for several activities in this regard, including (1) authorizing periodic appropriations for U.S. financial contributions to the institutions, and (2) overseeing U.S. involvement in the programs. Issues of congressional interest include the overall development assistance strategy of the United States, U.S. leadership in global environmental and economic affairs, and U.S. commercial interests in trade and investment. This report provides an overview of two of the larger and more recently instituted international financial institutions for the environment--the Climate Investment Funds (CIF)--and analyzes their structure, funding, and objectives in light of the many challenges within the contemporary landscape of global environmental finance. The CIF are investment programs administered by the World Bank Group that aim to help finance developing countries' transitions toward low-carbon and climate-resilient development."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lattanzio, Richard K.
2012-03-01
