July 16, 2008—The US Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research recently released a scientific assessment that provides the first comprehensive analysis of observed and projected changes in weather and climate extremes in North America and US territories.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change previously evaluated extreme weather and climate events on a global basis in this same context. However, there has not been a specific assessment across North America prior to this report, it says.
Among the major findings reported in this assessment are that droughts, heavy downpours, excessive heat, and intense hurricanes are likely to become more commonplace as humans continue to increase the atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
The report is based on scientific evidence that a warming world will be accompanied by changes in the intensity, duration, frequency, and geographic extent of weather and climate extremes.
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