E3SM Members Contribute to NCA5 Report
Just released, the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) is the US Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the scientific foundation to support informed decision-making across the United States. It documents observed and projected vulnerabilities, risks, and impacts associated with climate change across the United States and provides examples of response actions underway in many communities.
E3SM contributed to the assessment with Ruby Leung leading Chapter 3 “Earth System Processes” of the assessment report which deals with human-caused warming, climate sensitivity, data and methods, earth system change, and climate extremes. Claudia Tebaldi and Paul Ullrich contributed to this chapter as well. Peter Thornton led Chapter 6 “Land Cover and Land-Use Change” which discussed threats to services, land-system resilience, as well as mitigation and adaptation. Xujing Davis contributed to Chapter 5 “Energy” which deals with threats to energy systems, compounding factors, and energy resilience.
The key takeaways from the NCA5 are:
- The United States is taking action on climate change.
- People in the United States are experiencing increased risks from extreme events.
- Climate change exacerbates social inequities.
- Available mitigation strategies can deliver substantial emissions reductions, but additional options are needed to reach net zero.
- Climate action is an opportunity to create a more resilient and just nation.
On the DOE side, E3SM has been on the path all along addressing many of its aspects related to global climate risk by improving earth system predictability for actionable science, with a focus on DOE mission needs.
Resources
This article is a part of the E3SM “Floating Points” Newsletter, to read the full Newsletter check:
