Five main conclusions of the federal report on climate change

A new federal climate report released by the Trump administration, one day after Thanksgiving, warns of climate change.

The message of the report: Climate change is real, it is intensifying and it will devastate the way humans live from day to day if US leaders at all levels do not take radical action.

The latest congressional report, dubbed the fourth national climate assessment, reveals that the effects of climate change are reverberating around the world, affecting the health and well-being of the population.

More than 300 federal and non-federal scientists worked on this report, the first of its kind under the Trump administration, whose final draft was reviewed by 13 federal agencies.

Here are five things to know about the findings of the report:

The report directly contradicts Trump's statements

President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe European Amazon workers go on strike for the Black Friday GOP takes a step forward with Hispanics in Florida Romney is organizing a fundraising event for the CAP: report In recent months, his skepticism about climate change has intensified, accusing scientists of having political agendas.

In an interview with The Hill, climate scientist Phil Duffy said the report was "remarkable" because it presents a "parallel universe" within the administration. On one side, there are the "federal agencies … that are the general scientific consensus", "and on the other, Trump says that he is not sure if the climate change is "artificial".

The report estimates that about 92% of climate change can be attributed to the adverse effects of human activities. "The climate of the Earth is now changing faster than ever in the history of modern civilization, mainly because of human activities," the report says.

Faced by Axios reporters earlier this month on the issue, Trump acknowledged that there was climate change.

"Will it come back? Probably, that's what I think," he told reporters.

But Gary Yohe, professor of economics and professor of environmental studies, sat on the committee of the National Academy of Sciences that reviewed the report. He told The Hill that the weather would not "come back".

"The president is wrong," he told The Hill.

The report concludes that the effects of climate change can not be reversed, but indicates that its worst effects can be mitigated by aggressive action at all levels.

Its recommendations go against Trump's deregulation program

The Trump administration has adopted a largely deregulated program, reversing and lowering standards setting emissions limits for vehicles and power plants, dismantling the application of water quality standards in some places and often favoring oil and gas. coal compared to other sources of energy.

At the same time, the report warns that climate change will lead to a deterioration in water quality and the highest temperatures ever recorded, highlighting the need to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

"Although the Fourth National Climate Assessment does not propose policy recommendations from the outset, the findings clearly show that the White House should stop reverting to its climate policies and recognize that a much broader response is needed to ensure safety of people, "Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science at the Union of Concerned Scientists and one of the report's authors, told The Hill.

Derek Walker, vice president for US climate at the Environmental Defense Fund, criticized the administration's program as "malpractice".

"It's a bit like a doctor who diagnoses a patient with a very serious condition for which the treatment is known and the doctor refuses to provide treatment," Walker told The Hill. "This is only malpractice."

Dozens of environmental groups have issued similar statements following the publication of the report, many of them calling it a "call to action".

White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said in a statement that the report "is largely based on the most extreme scenario, which contradicts long-established trends."

Katherine Hayhoe, one of the authors of the report, rejected this statement, calling it "patently false".

"I myself wrote the chapter on climate scenarios in order to be able to confirm that it takes into account ALL scenarios, from those whose carbon emissions are negative before the end of the century to those where carbon emissions continue to increase, "she tweeted.

Some argue that Black Friday's publication of the report was meant to bury his findings

The Trump administration was criticized Friday for publishing the report on climate change one day after Thanksgiving, while a lower number of Americans will likely read the news.

The report was originally scheduled to be released in December, but it was finally advanced without explanation.

Yohe said representatives of the National Academy of Sciences told him Wednesday that the report will be released this week. He alleged that the Trump administration had decided on the date of publication as part of a political strategy to bury the findings of the report.

"This report is submitted to the administration and it is up to it to decide what to do with it," said Yohe.

"It's really a black Friday, but for all the wrong reasons," said Aimee Delach, senior policy analyst for climate change adaptation at Defenders of Wildlife.

The White House did not answer The Hill's questions regarding the timing of the release of the report. In a statement, spokeswoman Lindsay Walters praised US efforts to cut carbon emissions and said the report was prepared partly under the Obama administration. The assessment has been ongoing for three years.

Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseFederal Investigators Investigating Potential Breaches of the Whitaker Law Hatch Trump has chosen the new AG "to do his best" in Russia, according to Dem's strategist, Blumenthal. (D-R.I.) Said in a statement that the findings of the report could not be buried "no matter what efforts were made."

"If we do not act, serious consequences such as the collapse of prices of coastal real estate and billions of dollars worth of failed fossil fuel assets are waiting for us," he said. -he declares.

Climate change could reduce up to 1 / 10th of US GDP by 2100

The report attributes specific spending to the monumental effects of global warming, estimating that climate change could reduce as much as 10 percent of the US gross domestic product (GDP) by 2100.

According to him, bad weather has cost nearly $ 400 billion in the United States since 2015, and these costs are only expected to increase.

"Annual losses in certain economic sectors are expected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century, more than the current gross domestic product (GDP) of many US states," the report says. Sea level rise and damaging storms will lower property values ​​Floods, hurricanes and forest fires will cost record amounts to recover.

Extreme heat could result in the loss of more than half a billion hours of work by 2100, in the southeast only.

"If we went lower [carbon] emissions in the labor sector, we could reduce these costs by almost half, "said Ekwurzel.

The report predicts that heat-related deaths could cost up to $ 141 billion, sea level rise could cost $ 118 billion and damage to infrastructure could cost $ 32 billion. billions of dollars by the end of the century.

"The report concludes that these climate-related impacts will only worsen and that their costs could increase significantly if carbon emissions continue unabated," said Ekwurzel.

Climate change will have a devastating impact on marginalized communities

For decades, climate scientists have argued that marginalized populations, particularly those in low-income communities and often people of color, would be the first and most affected by the effects of climate change.

Communities with little money and resources are the most vulnerable to the risks associated with rising temperatures, rising sea levels, declining air quality. and water and damage to infrastructure.

The report states that climate change does not affect everyone in the same way.

"The risks are often highest for those who are already vulnerable, including low-income communities, some communities of color, children and the elderly," the report says. "Climate change is likely to exacerbate existing social and economic inequities, which would result in increased exposure and sensitivity to extreme weather and climate events as well as other changes."

"Climate change is really bad if you're young, old, old and sick, or very poor," said Yohe. "Because you are more sensitive to the manifestations of climate change and you have a much smaller capacity to protect yourself."

He added that humans who can, will often try to adapt to extreme weather conditions.

"These investments are sometimes expensive, sometimes require a degree of sophistication and knowledge, as well as the opportunity to take time to determine what you will do to protect yourself," Yohe said.

But, when they can not adapt, people can be displaced by extreme weather scenarios, leaving them to act as "refugees in their own country," Walker said.

Although it does not contain any policy recommendations, the report states that worst case scenarios do not necessarily have to happen. According to the report, such possibilities can be mitigated or even prevented if leaders strive to draw their attention to the existential threat.

"People should forget that what we have now is not the new normal, but a snapshot of a path to what will eventually become the new normal," Yohe said. "And there is still a lot of time to choose what new normal we want."