Report: Climate change already impacting Southwest

These photos show the kind of massive forest die-off that is projected to occur more frequently in the Southwest. Piñon pines, normally evergreen, have reddish-brown foliage in October 2002 (left). By May 2004 (right), the dead piñon pines have lost all their needles, exposing gray trunks and branches. The photos were taken from the same vantage point near Los Alamos, N.M. Forest drought stress is strongly correlated with tree mortality from poor growth, bark beetle outbreaks, and high-severity fire. / Photo by: U.S. Geological Survey: Craig D. Allen
These photos show the kind of massive forest die-off that is projected to occur more frequently in the Southwest. Piñon pines, normally evergreen, have reddish-brown foliage in October 2002 (left). By May 2004 (right), the dead piñon pines have lost all their needles, exposing gray trunks and branches. The photos were taken from the same vantage point near Los Alamos, N.M. Forest drought stress is strongly correlated with tree mortality from poor growth, bark beetle outbreaks, and high-severity fire. / Photo by: U.S. Geological Survey: Craig D. Allen

By Eric Betz | Arizona Daily Sun

Climate change is a problem now, not just in the future.

That’s the takeaway from a major report published on Tuesday by the U.S government and conducted over the course of years by a large cross-disciplinary panel of scientists.

Many reports have described the impacts of a changing planet in terms of future projections. The difference with the National Climate Assessment is that it brings the language into the present. Instead of only conveying projected slight changes in long-term averages, the report discusses extreme events already being experienced across the country, as well as stark changes for the future.

Continued:

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