Climate change could cost the US hundreds of billions of dollars and cause thousands of deaths every year by the end of the century unless there is a global shift to curb greenhouse gas emissions, a federal government report has warned. The latest National Climate Assessment, which the administration is legally required to publish every four years, said the global climate was “changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilisation, primarily as a result of human activities”, and was having effects that were already evident in the US and projected to intensify in the future.
The report, which was described by officials as “policy relevant, but not policy prescriptive”, was written by government scientists working for agencies including Nasa and the defence and energy departments. Its conclusions contrast sharply with the approach taken by Donald Trump, US president, and other members of his administration, who have played down the threat of climate change and worked to dismantle policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Trump has this week highlighted the unusually cold weather in the north-east of the US, tweeting on Wednesday: “Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS — Whatever happened to Global Warming?”