It’s pretty common these days to hear my friends and family members complaining about global warming—but it’s not just the weather they’re complaining about any more. One friend had to evacuate her town with her small boys in tow to flea this season’s wildfires. Another had to abandon a coastal cottage that had been in his family for generations because of rising sea levels. A grandparent stranded in a heat wave. Global warming is affecting all of us every day. And unless we take immediate action, both to help communities prepare for the consequences but also to reduce climate emissions, these stories will become more frequent, and more dire. —Karla
UCS reports highlight global warming consequences for American West.
Two new reports from UCS experts demonstrate just how serious the climate risks are for the great American West and the people who live there. Hotter, drier conditions brought on by global warming are contributing to more large wildfires and longer wildfire seasons. And in the Rocky Mountains—home to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks—these conditions are having severe impacts on the region’s forests—as drought, wildfires, and tree-killing insects that thrive in hotter temperatures are producing potentially irreversible effects. READ MORE
Ask a Scientist
“My husband and I live in the American Southwest and are very concerned about its habitability in the future due to worsening drought and rising temperatures. We are especially concerned about where our children and grandchildren will be able to live and prosper. Are there any regions of the country that might emerge unscathed from the effects of climate change?”—J. Winkeller, Gilbert, AZ.
I empathize. Climate change is now part of everyday reality, and no place in the United States—or the rest of the world, for that matter—is unaffected. Even if we were able to completely switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources right now, the climate will continue to warm in the coming decades. The National Climate Assessment recently examined the current and projected impacts of climate change on different regions of the country. READ MORE
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Protect Rocky Mountain forests before it’s too late!If we do not act now, the forests of the Rocky Mountains will continue to die as they face the severe consequences of climate change. Urge your elected officials to allocate the resources necessary for forest managers to address the current effects of global warming and implement steps that can make our forests more resilient. |
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