New Climate Change Report: A Wake-Up Call

This afternoon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association released a report on the impact of climate change in the United States. Its aim is as much political as it is scientific — The Guardian calls it “part of a carefully crafted strategy by the White House to help build public support for President Obama’s agenda and boost the prospects of a climate change bill now making its way through Congress” — and it shows not only the potentially devastating future effects of global warming, but also the pronounced consequences already engendered by rising temperatures.

I encourage you to take a look at the full report — or at least the summary — but for a quick overview, check out the truly startling maps below the jump:

According to the report, the Southeast will be particularly hard-hit:

And for those who think that the threat of rising sea levels is pure alarmism, here’s the impact we’ve already felt:

Likewise, shrinking Arctic sea ice: