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It's here! The Climate Science Special Report, the most up to date synthesis of climate science today, just dropped. science2017.globalchange.gov
Our climate science report is vol 1 of the 4th US National Climate Assessment. Here's what NCA is & why it matters: blog.ucsusa.org/rachel-licker/…
This new climate sci report was written by US federal scientists from relevant agencies + a few non-feds like me, @bobkopp & @radleyhorton.
Here is a thread on the most important findings of our new climate science report: science2017.globalchange.gov
1/ It confirms what we've known for decades:
Climate is changing
Humans are responsible
The risks are serious
The time to act is now
Climate is changing
Humans are responsible
The risks are serious
The time to act is now
2/ Much of what we've learned in recent years suggests changes could be more extensive, more rapid, and more damaging than we thought.
Global temperature increased by about 1.8°F (1.0°C) from 1901–2016. This period is now the warmest in the history of modern civilization. /3
Human activities are the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20th century...there is no convincing alternative explanation. /4
Thousands of studies document changes in temperature; melting glaciers; diminishing snow cover; shrinking sea ice; rising sea levels; etc /5
Without major reductions in emissions, avg global temperature relative to preindustrial could rise 9°F (5°C) or more by end of century. /6
Atmospheric CO2 is now past 400 ppm-last seen about 3 million yrs ago, when both global avg temp + sea level were much higher than today. /7
The further and the faster the Earth system is pushed towards warming, the greater the risk of unanticipated changes and impacts. /8
Yet with significant reductions in emissions, the increase in avg global temperature could still be limited to 3.6°F (2°C) or less, YES. /9
The bottom line? We care about a changing climate because it exacerbates so many of the risks we already face today. /10
Questions about our new climate science report? We're teaming up w/ @AAAS for a FB Live chat @ 3E on Nov 8. Join us: facebook.com/AAAS.Science/v…
