• Human-induced climate change is projected to continue and accelerate significantly if emissions of heat-trapping gases continue to increase.
• Natural ecosystems are being directly affected by climate change, including changes in biodiversity and location of species. As a result, the capacity of ecosystems to moderate the consequences of disturbances such as droughts, floods and severe storms is being diminished.
• Planning for adaptation (to address and prepare for impacts) and mitigation (to reduce emissions) is increasing, but progress with implementation is limited.

The NCA is a premier collection of climate science that can be used to inform policy decisions, and is especially important because it’s yet another vessel (in addition to recent extreme weather events) carrying home the point that our climate is changing right now, as a result of human behavior. It is one more piece of proof that climate science is not something you can choose to “believe in” and that urgent action at all levels is vital to maintaining some semblance of normal on this planet.

The comment period for the NCA presents us with an opportunity to share with the government our own expertise and experiences—as much as the scientific studies may show us, we often know our own backyards best, and could possibly add a comment about something the NCA missed (I’m sure you’re probably asking how anything could be left out of a 1,000-page document but hey, Citizen Scientist, you never know).

In addition to writing a comment on your own, there are numerous ways you can share the NCA with your campus and community and really spread this climate science goodness around! Read on for just a few ideas from NWF Campus Ecology.

• Host a forum on your campus. View the list of the 60 Federal Advisory Committee members, or open any chapter of interest for a list of authors to find one affiliated with your college or university, or an institution nearby. Ask that person to speak about the effects of climate change on your particular region, or their topic of expertise. Organize a follow-up action with the attendees—coordinated letters to the editor of the local paper, signatures on a petition to your college president to transition from fossil fuels on campus, or agree on another educational event to hold in the future.
  • Make sure you have several laptops at your event and encourage attendees to submit comments online before leaving the event. Prior to the event, write a few draft comments on various issues that attendees can personalize and submit. (Note that each person will have to create an account to submit his or her comment—but it’s quick and easy!)
  • If you need help contacting a climate expert in your area, email us at campus@nwf.org! We’re happy to help.
• Hold tabling sessions in your student union building or other high-traffic area and talk to your classes to encourage students at your university to submit comments to the NCA.
• Organize a “Climate Adaptation Work Day” on your campus—build a community garden, plant native plants along a stream, promote alternative methods of transportation—all in the name of climate science and changing our behaviors to slow climate change! This NCA is different than the previous two in that this report discusses the need for mitigation as well as adaptation—cutting carbon pollution while also preparing for the impacts from our previous climate-altering behaviors. College and university campuses nationwide are leading the way in reducing their carbon footprints. Check out our Campus Sustainability Case Study Database for ideas and inspiration.

So tell your friends and tell your neighbors about the National Climate Assessment comment period. There’s no better time for civic engagement than the present! Remember that the comment period closes April 12.

Will you host a forum or a work day on your campus? Take photos and share them with us on Facebook or Twitter, or better yet, send us an email (campus@nwf.org) and maybe we’ll feature a guest blog post about your NCA event! 

Join the Campus Ecology email list for the latest news on campus sustainability initiatives.

Especially since 2012 was the hottest year ever recorded, the arctic sea ice extent set a new record low in recorded history, the northeast was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, and drought and wildfires struck all over the western part of the United States.

But there is one group who may just need a report to actually show them that climate change is real and is happening now. You guessed it, it’s Congress.

Back in 1990 when the U.S. Congress passed (and President George H.W. Bush signed) the U.S. Global Change Research Act, it actually mandated that federal agencies produce just such a report every four years. The latest installment of this National Climate Assessment was recently released in draft form for public review.  This draft report is the most comprehensive review of U.S. climate impacts to date. It includes analyses of how climate change is already affecting specific regions and sectors of national relevance, from agriculture to health to transportation.

Flickr simm0ns777

It’s like the kid who has a math book with all the answers in the back, but refuses to do the work to find the solutions. That kid usually fails the class. In this case, Congress is failing its country. Let’s make them do the math.

So when the President addressed climate in his Inauguration speech, saying,

“We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.

“Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.

“The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries—we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure—our forests and waterways; our croplands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”

I think he’s saying, “Hey, we can’t deny or ignore science any longer. It is time to take action.”

As we know, action is not something that Congress is particularly keen on these days. That’s why we’ve got to push them. Right now is the time to raise our voices so that when the report lands on their desks next year they know what to do with it. And they know we’re paying attention.

Tell Congress to limit carbon pollution contributing to climate change!

Draft National Climate Assessment Report Available for Public Review

National Wildlife Photo Contest entry by Lois Settlemeyer.

Ad: Hold BP Accountable During Settlement Negotiations

January 7 – Today, the National Wildlife Federation unveiled an ad campaign on the Washington Metro subway system aimed at influencing the Department of Justice’s settlement negotiations with BP. The ads are located in the Navy Archives Metro station, close to the Department of Justice’s Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters.

“Americans from all walks of life reeled in horror as BP’s negligence sent more than 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico,” said Aileo Weinmann, associate communications director for the National Wildlife Federation. “We’re sending a signal to staff at the Department of Justice to hold BP fully accountable for up to $50 billion in civil fines and penalties.”

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• The Washington Times: Lawmakers seek leverage on Obama energy push
• News & Observer: Provide winter treats for the birds 
• Bayou Buzz: Oiled pelican photo in HOLD BP ACCOUNTABLE ad greets Justice employees at Washington Metro station

For more, visit www.nwf.org/news 

What’s in the report?

Today, I had a chance to see the draft at a public meeting of the federal advisory committee overseeing the report development. Some initial, big-picture reactions:

• The report clearly and strongly reaffirms the findings of past climate assessments: we are seeing climate change now and the cause is primarily the burning of fossil fuels.  It notes that these conclusions are buttressed by new evidence and repeated scrutiny of existing data.
• The report includes detailed and definitive information about climate impacts, some of which are increasing. It points out that all Americans are experiencing climate change, an important recognition that this is a problem we are facing here and now.
• The projections of possible future climate change make it clear that our choices about carbon emissions will have a significant effect on the magnitude of impacts. In particular, in order to reduce emissions to the levels that the global community has agreed is necessary to avoid most serious impacts, we need to stabilize and reduce global emissions within a few years. For the US to accomplish this, additional policies will be needed.  Existing efforts are not even close to what is needed.
• Responses to climate change—both slowing emissions of carbon pollution (what climate scientists call “mitigation”) and efforts to respond to and prepare for unavoidable climate impacts (“climate adaptation”)—are examined in detail for the first time in this third assessment report. This is an important step in the right direction, recognizing that the National Climate Assessment needs to more directly address the questions of decision makers. It states that current actions are not sufficient to meet the challenges facing us today.

In short, this draft report reinforces the certainty within the scientific community that the climate is changing and makes a compelling case that significant and urgent action is needed to address the root causes.

How can you get involved?

Wildlife across the country will be impacted by climate change, according to a new draft National Climate Assessment. Photo by William Wiley.

• San Diego, CA – January 18, 2013. More information here.
• Syracuse, NY – January 23, 2013. More information here.
• Lincoln, NE – February 4, 2013. More information here.
• Anchorage, AK – February 5, 2013. As a part of Alaska Forum on the Environment, register here.
• Ann Arbor, MI – February 12, 2013. More information here.
• Tampa, FL – February 19, 2013. More information here.
• Portland, OR – March 12, 2013. More information here.

And, last but not least, let President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency know that you support efforts to curb carbon pollution from power plants. Send a message today voicing your concern that the latest science demands that we take action.

A new report that brings together recent research on how climate change is affecting plants, animals, and habitats in the United States confirms what we already suspected: the changes are happening faster than previously thought, with more compelling evidence of impacts piling up.

The new report Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services was produced as a technical input into the 2013 National Climate Assessment (NCA).  My NWF colleague Bruce Stein and I served on the steering committee and helped author several chapters of the report.

More Evidence of How Climate Change Is Affecting Nature

The report focuses on new research contributions from the last 5 or so years, and there have been many. Among the major findings of the report:

• Climate change is causing many species to shift their ranges and distributions faster than previously thought.  Terrestrial species are moving up in elevation 2 to 3 times faster than initial estimates;
• There is increased evidence of species population declines and localized extinctions that can be directly attributed to climate change.  Species living at high altitudes and latitudes are especially vulnerable to climate change;
• Changes in precipitation and extreme weather events can increase transport of nutrients and pollutants downstream.  Drinking water quality is very likely to be strained as higher rainfall and river discharge lead to more nitrogen in waters and greater risk of waterborne disease outbreak;
• Ecosystem services provided by coastal habitats are especially vulnerable to sea level rise and more severe storms. The Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts are the most vulnerable to the loss of coastal protection services provided by wetlands and coral reefs.  Coastal communities on the Pacific coast are also vulnerable;
• Changes in winter can have big and surprising effects on ecosystems and their services, including impacting agricultural and forest production.

Climate Change Adaptation Gaining More Prominence

This report devotes a chapter to climate change adaptation, an area where there has also been significant progress made in the last five years. NWF’s contributions to advancing the conceptual framework and practice of adaptation are particularly featured.

With ecosystems facing the effects of climate change more rapidly than previously anticipated, the key findings of the adaptation chapter stress that our expectations of what can be accomplished with adaptation efforts and current conservation strategies will also need to be revisited:

• Adaptation can range from efforts to retain status quo conditions to actively managing system transitions; however, even the most aggressive adaptation strategies may be unable to prevent irreversible losses of biodiversity or serious degradation of ecosystems and their services.
• Static protected areas will not be sufficient to conserve biodiversity in a changing climate, requiring an emphasis on landscape-scale conservation, connectivity among protected habitats, and sustaining ecological functioning of working lands and waters.

Thus, the ongoing efforts of federal and state agencies to plan for and integrate climate change research into resource management and actions—many of which are cataloged in the report—are essential for safeguarding the future of wildlife. But, we will also need aggressive action to curb carbon pollution to avoid reaching the limits of what adaptation strategies can accomplish.

Next Stop: Public Review of Draft NCA Report

This technical input is already being considered by the authors of the next National Climate Assessment report, which will include a chapter on ecosystems, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. In addition, the chapters focused on individual regions of the nation will address the impacts on their ecosystems.

We will get our first look at the draft report this coming December when it will be released for a 3-month public comment period. The draft will undergo expert peer review, and the NCA is also seeking broad stakeholder review. They define stakeholders as “individuals and organizations whose activities, decisions, and policies are sensitive to or affected by climate.” In other words, everybody is a stakeholder.   So, mark your calendars to set aside some time to provide your comments to the NCA when the draft is available this winter.