On November 23, the Trump Administration released National Climate Assessment: Volume 2. As the second volume in the National Climate Assessment, the document does not revisit the science discussed in the first volume but instead severely portrays the potential impacts of climate change on the environment, society and individuals. The report is available in its entirety online but can also be downloaded as a PDF document.
The chapter on impacts to water now identifies specific hazards to aging infrastructure instead of referring to aging infrastructure itself as an overall social risk. The water chapters include three key themes: Changes in Water Quantity and Quality; Deteriorating Water Infrastructure at Risk; and Water Management in a Changing Future. The first two messages are climate change impacts while the third is an adaptation strategy to limit the negative impacts described in the first two.
The report specifically claims that higher temperatures have increased the severity of both droughts and heavy precipitation while also limiting snowpack accumulation, creating disparities between supply and demand. It further states that anticipated increases in extreme precipitation events may lead to increased impacts in some areas of the U.S. However, the report also states that water management strategies can be improved through “greater exchange of emerging expertise among water managers” and “better conveyance of the underlying climate and water science to communities, managers, and other decision-makers.”
While the report was released the day after Thanksgiving, the report received media attention throughout the holiday weekend. Press reports focused on the report’s emphasis on increased disaster risk and anticipated economic losses. The report’s Summary Findings describe the social, human and environmental impacts across 12 different thematic areas: Communities; economy; interconnected impacts; actions to reduce risks; water; health; indigenous peoples; ecosystems and ecosystem services; agriculture; infrastructure; oceans & coasts; and tourism and recreation. These areas represent a synthesis of the key messages and identified impacts from 16 national-level chapters, 10 regional chapters, and two chapters that address mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Observations in these areas include that climate impacts are already occurring in communities throughout the U.S., climate change is “expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property,” and that climate impacts will not be evenly distributed but instead disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. The report also encourages policymakers to include vulnerable populations as they begin to develop adaptation and mitigation plans.
