The National Assessment Synthesis Team, a group of 14 climate change impacts experts who authored the report, hope it will awaken Americans to the threat of climate change and spur efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change will vary widely across the U.S. Temperature increases will vary regionally. Heavy and extreme precipitation is likely to become more frequent, but some regions will get drier. The potential impacts of climate change will also vary widely across the nation. High Alpine meadows like this one in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, could disappear as the Earth warms.
Ecosystems are highly vulnerable to the projected rate and magnitude of climate change.
Alpine meadows in the Rocky Mountains and some barrier islands, are likely to disappear entirely. Other ecosystems, such as forests of the Southeast, are likely to experience major species shifts or breakup. The goods and services lost through the disappearance or fragmentation of certain ecosystems are likely to be costly or impossible to replace. Climate change and the resulting rise in sea levels are likely to worsen threats to buildings, roads, powerlines and other infrastructures along the coast. Sea level rise is likely to cause the loss of some barrier beaches, islands, and wetlands, and worsen storm surges and flooding during storms.