- Sea level has risen by 8 inches since the beginning of the 20th century.
- Since the late 1800s, average temperature has increased globally by about 1.3 degrees F. Some regions, such as the Southwestern U.S., had temperature increases of more than 2.5 degrees F.
- The first climate refugees in the U.S., the Yup’ik Eskimos, have begun to plan their move to higher ground, while the small south Pacific island nation of Tuvalu has already begun evacuating its citizens to New Zealand.
- Similarly, fish, wildlife, and plants are responding to climate change throughout the U.S. (Figure 1) and the world.
Figure 1. Joyce, L. A., C. H. Flather, and M. E. Koopman. 2008. Analysis of Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Wildlife Habitats in the U.S. Final Report to Doris Duke Wildlife Habitat Policy Research Program.
Unless we act now, the most severe impacts are still to come.
- In California residents are expected to suffer over $100 billion in coastal infrastructure damage due to anticipated sea level rise of 4 feet (need a citation). If polar ice sheets collapse and cause additional sea level rise, those costs will escalate.
- Increased forest and rangeland fire in some portions of the U.S. will cost an additional $4.9 billion each year to protect homes and lives.
- More intense hurricanes could cost $3.5 billion per year in additional expenditures on emergency response and rebuilding. (need a citation)
Not all the costs associated with climate change can be expressed in dollars.
- Up to a third of the world’s biodiversity is expected to go extinct due to climate change by the end of the century.
- Many of the ecosystem services that people rely on for clean water, clean air, recreation, and subsistence are at risk.
- The impact of climate change is likely to be experienced more intensely by the world’s poorest nations and most vulnerable citizens (need a citation).
For all of these reasons, it is important that communities take action to prepare for climate change in a responsible manner to protect people, infrastructure, wildlife, and economies in a changing climate.
