Rim Country Gazette: Gov't Scientists Find Climate Change Hitting USA NOW

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Gov't Scientists Find Climate Change Hitting USA NOW - Fear Trump Will Suppress Report

The map shows median estimates of economic damage per year in 2080 to 2099 under a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5). Damage is calculated as a percentage of county G.D.P., factoring in agriculture, mortality, crime, labor productivity, coastal impacts and energy demand. Counties with negative damage (green) are projected to see economic benefits. In the chart, the ranges labeled “likely” refer to outcomes with a two-thirds chance of occurring. — The map above is of future projections - but measurable effects are already being seen now, according to a draft report. (NOTE: Graphic not from report; also note positive numbers indicate more damage to GDP - positive is not good.)

The New York Times has a breaking story: Government Report Finds Drastic Impact of Climate Change on U.S.

WASHINGTON — The average temperature in the United States has risen rapidly and drastically since 1980, and recent decades have been the warmest of the past 1,500 years, according to a sweeping federal climate change report awaiting approval by the Trump administration.

The draft report by scientists from 13 federal agencies, which has not yet been made public, concludes that Americans are feeling the effects of climate change right now. It directly contradicts claims by President Trump and members of his cabinet who say that the human contribution to climate change is uncertain, and the ability to predict the effects are limited.

“How much more the climate will change depends on future emissions and the sensitivity of the climate system to those emissions,” a draft of the report states. A copy of it was obtained by The New York Times.

The draft report lists some of the effects that have been linked to climate change: fewer cool nights, more and hotter days, and other effects.

The study examines every corner of the United States and finds that all of it was touched by climate change. It said the average annual rainfall across the country has increased by about 4 percent since the beginning of the 20th century. Parts of the West, Southwest and Southeast are drying up, while the Southern Plains and Midwest are getting wetter.

It’s happening now, it’s real, and it’s not getting better. Scientists are concerned the report will be suppressed or heavily edited by the Trump administration, which is determinedly in denial.