The fifth national climate assessment: Report shows change is here, but there is hope

The fifth national climate assessment: Report shows change is here, but there is hope Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor The Fifth National Climate Assessment was released this morning, with dire messaging around the need for the immediate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions—but also hope, with advances in technology and increased adoption of renewable energy since the last report was issued in 2018. The bad: Human-caused climate change is already wreaking havoc in every region of the United States, with a record 25 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023 so far and the most severe impacts felt by historically underserved and marginalized communities. According to the report, immediate, not incremental, action must happen to avert the worst impacts of climate change. The good: U.S. emissions of heat-trapping gases fell by 12% between 2005 and 2019, as the country moved away from coal and toward natural gas and renewable energy. Tools and technologies now exist to significantly reduce our contribution to climate change, and awareness of the importance of protecting natural carbon in our wetlands and forests is growing. Cities like New York, once synonymous with fossil fuel consumption and hazardous air pollution, are leading the way. "While the human impact on our climate is now unequivocal, the positive momentum on climate action is also undeniable," says Daniel Zarrilli, Columbia University's special adviser on climate and sustainability and an author of the new climate assessment's Northeast chapter. "Over the past decade, New York City has aggressively invested in adaptation and clean energy, passed legislation to slash carbon pollution, and enacted new environmental justice rules, creating jobs and regional economic opportunities in the process," he says. More information Assessment: nca5.climate.us/ Provided by Columbia University