<div><a href="http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090616_climatereport.html">http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090616_climatereport.html</a></div>
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<h2>New Report Provides Authoritative Assessment of National, Regional Impacts of Global Climate Change</h2>
<h3>Details Point to Potential Value of Early, Aggressive Action</h3>
<p id="releaseDate">June 16, 2009</p></div>
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<div>The report, “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States,” compiles years of scientific research and takes into account new data not available during the preparation of previous large national and global assessments.</div>
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<div>“This new report integrates the most up-to-date scientific findings into a comprehensive picture of the ongoing as well as expected future impacts of heat-trapping pollution on the climate experienced by Americans, region by region and sector by sector,” said John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “It tells us why remedial action is needed sooner rather than later, as well as showing why that action must include both global emissions reductions to reduce the extent of climate change and local adaptation measures to reduce the damage from the changes that are no longer avoidable.”<br>
<br>The report, which confirms previous evidence that global temperature increases in recent decades have been primarily human-induced, incorporates the latest information on rising temperatures and sea levels; increases in extreme weather events; and other climate-related phenomena. </div>
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<div>Among the main findings are:</div>
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<li>Heat waves will become more frequent and intense, increasing threats to human health and quality of life. Extreme heat will also affect transportation and energy systems, and crop and livestock production.
<li>Increased heavy downpours will lead to more flooding, waterborne diseases, negative effects on agriculture, and disruptions to energy, water, and transportation systems.
<li>Reduced summer runoff and increasing water demands will create greater competition for water supplies in some regions, especially in the West.
<li>Rising water temperatures and ocean acidification threaten coral reefs and the rich ecosystems they support. These and other climate-related impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems will have major implications for tourism and fisheries.
<li>Insect infestations and wildfires are already increasing and are projected to increase further in a warming climate.
<li>Local sea-level rise of over three feet on top of storm surges will increasingly threaten homes and other coastal infrastructure. Coastal flooding will become more frequent and severe, and coastal land will increasingly be lost to the rising seas</li>
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<p>“By comparing impacts that are projected to result from higher versus lower emissions of heat-trapping gasses, our report underscores the importance and real economic value of reducing those emissions,” said Tom Karl, director of <a href="http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html">NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center</a> in Asheville, N.C. and one of the co-chairs of the report. “It shows that the choices made now will have far-reaching consequences.” </p>
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<p>The report is available for download <a href="http://www.globalchange.gov/usimpacts">online</a>.</p>
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<p>Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett</p></div>