The National Climate Assessment released its third report yesterday, featuring the input of more than a dozen federal agencies and hundreds of leading scientists and experts.
Patty Glick, senior global warming specialist with the National Wildlife Federation, spent two years working on the report and was a co-author of the Pacific Northwest chapter.
“What strikes me most about this report is how many changes we're already experiencing and how quickly they've occurred,” said Glick. “The first National Climate Assessment back in 2000 was considered a look into the future, but just 14 years later, we're no longer just talking about forecasts and models. Today we're reporting on the changes we're already seeing in our own backyards, and frankly I'm alarmed at the speed. Compared to previous projections, we're seeing temperatures rising faster, oceans more quickly becoming acidic, fish and wildlife habitat shifting sooner than many species can adapt.”
For more information online at www. NWF.org/News.
