Climate change impacts every region of the country. Here are five takeaways from the report:
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Hot. Hot. Hot. Count on even higher temperatures, and that means drought. A case in point, in 2011, parts of Texas and Oklahoma experienced more than 100 days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. “Both states set new records for the hottest summer since record keeping began in 1895,” the report said, adding, “The heat and drought depleted water resources and contributed to more than $10 billion in direct losses to agriculture alone.” But there are numerous other impacts. The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere has increased due to human-caused warming, the report said. "This extra moisture is available to storm systems, resulting in heavier rainfalls."
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A world of extremes: The biggest temperature increases are occurring close to the poles, particularly the Arctic. These shifts in temperature have a ripple effect, the report said. “Ice loss increases Arctic warming by replacing white, reflective ice with dark water that absorbs more energy from the sun. More open water can also increase snowfall over northern land areas."
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Yes, we did it: Climate has changed naturally throughout history, the report acknowledges. Indeed, natural factors still affect climate today. But natural factors don’t explain recent warming. “The difference is that, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, humans have been increasingly affecting global climate, to the point where we are now the primary cause of recent and projected future change,” the report said. “The majority of the warming at the global scale over the past 50 years can only be explained by the effects of human influences, especially the emissions from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and from deforestation.”
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The danger zone: Other than having the obvious human impact – hurricane fatalities, for example – climate change can also affect our health. Heat waves are “the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States,” the report said. Also consider that diseases brought by mosquitoes, fleas and ticks are affected by temperature, precipitation and humidity.
- Adaptation: Humans will have to adapt to changes while attempting to mitigate the damage, the report said. In Florida, several municipalities are attempting to reduce emissions and revise building codes and land regulation to discouragedevelopment in vulnerable regions.
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