A changing region
This presentation explains how climate change is expected to affect the American West, with a focus on the water cycle, biodiversity, and wildfires. We also discuss greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of air pollution.
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Key points
- Temperature
- The West is already warming faster than many parts of the country, and even higher temperatures are expected in the decades to come
- Precipitation
- Models predict the Southwest will get drier and the Pacific Northwest will get wetter, but the projections elsewhere are more ambiguous
- Water impacts
- Changes to the vital winter snowpack and the timing of the spring snowmelt will pose challenges to aquatic species and water managers
- Biodiversity impacts
- Plants and animals are expected to move upslope and toward the North Pole in response to the changing climate, but many barriers stand in the way
- Wildfire impacts
- Warmer temperatures and a thinner snowpack will continue to make the West’s wildfire season longer and more destructive
- Greenhouse gases
- Power plants, transportation, and industry account for the great majority of GHG emissions in the West, where only a few states have significant carbon sinks
- Other air pollution
- The nation has made significant progress in addressing many types of air pollution, but millions of Westerners remain at risk from airborne toxics