A draft report released in January by the National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee documents the wide-ranging impacts of human-induced climate change, mainly due to burning fossil fuels.
The report, which is open for comment until April 2013, states that the last decade was the nation's hottest on record andtemperatures will continue to rise by between 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit (just over 1 degree Celsius) in the next few decades.
The report points out that although there may be benefits of a warming climate, including a longer growing season, many impacts will be undesirable such as rising sea level, increased ocean acidification, ice melt, droughts and wild fire.
The report states that human impact upon the climate has doubled the probability of extreme events such as the heat wave in 2011 where temperatures soared to 51 degrees Celcius leading to widespread drought.
The report also address the relationship between climate change and health, and climate change and how ecosystems function. It also highlights that climate change will affect the reliability of water supplies and impact on infrastructure.
The report was put together by 240 scientists and looks at options for further research to increase the knowledge base around climate change, as well as adaptation measures that should be undertaken.
