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A burned car sits in the wreck of the campfireWu Xiaoling / Zuma
This story was published by The Guardian and appears here under the Climate office collaboration.
The Trump administration tried to downplay the alarming conclusions of its own assessment of climate change, as Democrats sought to pressure the White House to avoid an economic and public health disaster.
The US National Assessment on Climate Change, which brings together 300 scientists and 13 federal agencies, was released Friday afternoon. He noted that forest fires, storms and heatwaves are already weighing heavily on the well-being of Americans, with climate change "shaking up many areas of life" in the future.
The voluminous report, which warns of hundreds of billions of dollars lost, failed harvests, growing wildfires, altered ribs and multiple health problems, represents the most comprehensive and most comprehensive analysis. disturbing to date the risks posed by rising temperatures for the United States.
According to the report, climate change could reduce one-tenth of US GDP by the end of the century, with $ 1 million in coastal real estate threatened by rising sea levels and storms. Heat waves will cause thousands of additional deaths and worsen conditions such as asthma and lung disease due to increased air pollution. A White House spokeswoman said, however, that the assessment was "largely based on the most extreme scenario, which contradicts long-standing trends, assuming that despite strong economic growth likely to occur". 39, increase emissions of greenhouse gases, technology and innovation would be limited, a rapidly expanding population. "
The spokesperson added that the next report, planned in four years, "will provide a more transparent and data-driven process". Katharine Hayhoe, a climatologist at Texas Tech University and co-author of the report, said the White House's statement was "patently false". She added on Twitter: "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. those where carbon emissions continue to increase. " The climate assessment has galvanized the Democrats, who will control the House of Representatives next year. "Days of denial and inaction in the House are over," said Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Congressman who is expected to chair the Energy and Trade Committee. "House Democrats are planning to aggressively fight climate change and ask the administration to account for its backward policies that only make things worse. The report's authors, mandated by Congress, echoed the sense of urgency and lamented the timing of its publication the day after Thanksgiving, which is generally the busiest shopping day of the year. . "This report clearly shows that climate change is not a problem in the distant future – it is currently occurring in all parts of the country," he said. Brenda Ekwurzel, co-author and director of climate science at the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a statement. "When people say that the forest fires, hurricanes and heat waves they are going through are different from what they saw before, there is a reason for that and that is called climate change. " Ekwurzel added that the report "makes a convincing case for the White House to stop rolling back climate policies and to recognize that a much broader response is needed to keep people safe." Donald Trump did not comment immediately on the report, although on Wednesday he reacted to a cold snap on the east coast in tweeting: "A cold, prolonged blast could shatter ALL RECORDS – What about global warming?" The president made a trip last week to see the consequences of California's deadliest forest fires, a phenomenon that experts say is compounded by warmer temperatures. During a visit to Paradise City, which was wiped out by the so-called campfire, Trump said he wanted "a pleasant climate". But he has largely blamed the management of the forest for the fire. He has repeatedly denigrated or rejected climate science in the past. In a statement following the publication of the climate assessment, Al Gore, former vice president and environmental advocate, said: "The president can try to hide the truth but his own scientists and experts have explained it as clearly and clearly as possible. "
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