'NEW YORK TIMES' SHEDS LIGHT ON ARDUOUS PATH AHEAD AS DEPICTED IN THE LANDMARK COMPREHENSIVE 'NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT.' This sobering NYT article spotlights the economic conundrum we face as depicted in the new definitive report released by 13 Federal agencies and authored by 300 scientists.
The important takeaway is that we can minimize imminent harm facing our country, our planet and our children but we must move quickly and with selfless dedication. Caleb, Jim & Megan
"But in direct language, the 1,656-page assessment lays out the devastating effects of a changing climate on the economy, health and environment, including record wildfires in California, crop failures in the Midwest and crumbling infrastructure in the South. Going forward, American exports and supply chains could be disrupted, agricultural yields could fall to 1980s levels by midcentury and fire season could spread to the Southeast, the report finds…
"All told, the report says, climate change could slash up to a tenth of gross domestic product by 2100, more than double the losses of the Great Recession a decade ago…
"The previous report, issued in May 2014, concluded with nearly as much scientific certainty, but not as much precision on the economic costs, that the tangible impacts of climate change had already started to cause damage across the country. It cited increasing water scarcity in dry regions, torrential downpours in wet regions and more severe heat waves and wildfires…
"The report puts the most precise price tags to date on the cost to the United States economy of projected climate impacts: $141 billion from heat-related deaths, $118 billion from sea level rise and $32 billion from infrastructure damage by the end of the century, among others…
"The nation’s farm belt is likely to be among the hardest-hit regions, and farmers in particular will see their bottom lines threatened.
:'Rising temperatures, extreme heat, drought, wildfire on rangelands and heavy downpours are expected to increasingly disrupt agricultural productivity in the U.S.,' the report says. 'Expect increases in challenges to livestock health, declines in crop yields and quality and changes in extreme events in the United States and abroad.'"
U.S. Climate Report Warns of Damaged Environment and Shrinking Economy
Without major action to rein in global warming, the American economy could lose 10 percent of G.D.P. by 2100, according to a report from 13 federal agencies.
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