EPA
EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Change website: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
Climate Impacts Report
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a comprehensive report that shows how greenhouse gases are changing our climate and impacting the environment across the U.S. The findings of this report include the following:
- Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are increasing. Between 1990 and 2008 there has been an almost 14 percent increase in emissions in the United States.
- Average temperatures are rising. Seven of the top 10 warmest years on record for the continental United States have occurred since 1990.
- Tropical cyclone intensity has increased in recent decades. Six of the 10 most active hurricane seasons have occurred since the mid-1990s.
- Sea levels are rising. From 1993 to 2008, sea level rose twice as fast as the long-term trend.
- Glaciers are melting. Loss of glacier volume appears to have accelerated over the last decade.
- Bird migration has shifted. Some species have altered their migration habits by an average of 35 miles northward in winter to adapt to the changing climate.
The report can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.html
Framework for Categorizing the Relative Vulnerability of Threatened and Endangered Species to Climate Change
The USEPA has published a draft document describing an evaluative framework that may be used to categorize the relative vulnerability of threatened and endangered (T&E) species to climate change.
The document introduction states "It should be noted that while this framework will help in evaluating the likely risks of climate change to T&E species in the United States, the information generated is intended to be a guide to how the future vulnerability of organisms might change. It should not be used alone to provide a mechanism for determining whether a species is endangered or threatened under the Section 4 listing process of the Endangered Species Act."
EPA point of contact for technical information is Susan Julius at (703) 347-8619.
A copy of the document is available at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=203743
