Humanity Is Facing 'the Ultimate Threat'

US greenhouse-gas emissions fell less than 1% per year on average from 2005 to 2019, a trend that is not going to cut it, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment and first since 2018. Emissions need to decline more than 6% per year on average to prevent global warming of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2050, according to the report compiled by more than 750 experts from every state and territory and reviewed by 14 federal agencies, per the Wall Street Journal. It finds advancements in carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen fuel technologies will be needed to meet US emissions targets, but there are also steps we can and must take now, through investment in clean energy, for example. More:

• 'The ultimate threat': Climate change is "the ultimate threat to humanity," President Biden said Tuesday, per the New York Times, in announcing more than $6 billion in funding to strengthen the electric grid, reduce flooding, improve water reliability, and boost carbon-free energy. "We need to do more and move faster," he said, adding the assessment shows "in clear scientific terms, that climate change is impacting all regions, all sectors of the United States."

• No escape: Basically, there's nowhere to hide. Every part of the US is feeling the effects, whether through more devastating wildfires, more powerful hurricanes, or deadly heatwaves. Some 40% of the US population resides in coastal areas at risk from sea level rise, according to the assessment. Less visibly, warmer temperatures are accompanied by the movement of crop pests and disease-spreading insects further north.
• The financial toll: This is the first report to include a chapter on economics. It's no wonder: Biden said natural disasters caused $178 billion in damages in the US last year, per Reuters. The US actually set a record this year for the highest number of extreme weather events with damage of at least $1 billion. People are seeing home insurance and food prices spike in response. But this is just the beginning. "The impacts of future changes are projected to be more significant," the report states.
• A call for unprecedented action: "It's important for us to recognize that how much climate change we will be experiencing in the future depends on the choices that we make now," L. Ruby Leung, a climate scientist and the lead author of the earth sciences chapter, tells USA Today. White House senior climate adviser John Podesta says "a transformation of the global economy on a size and scale that's never occurred in human history" is needed to "create a livable future for ourselves and our children," per CNN.

• Fossil fuels: We need a much faster transition away from fossil fuels in favor of clean energy, according to the assessment. Clean energy industries will create enough jobs to offset those lost in the oil and gas industry, experts say. And transitioning to zero-carbon energy could prevent between 200,000 and 2 million deaths linked to air pollution by 2050, per the assessment.
• A warning: The report finds US efforts to reduce emissions have been mostly "incremental" rather than "transformative," per the Times. "Without deeper cuts in global net greenhouse gas emissions and accelerated adaptation efforts, severe climate risks to the United States will continue to grow," the report states, per USA Today. "Each additional increment of warming is expected to lead to more damage and greater economic losses."
• Problems to address: Emissions from transportation rose nearly 25% from 1990 to 2018 with Americans driving more, showing the importance of a transition to electric vehicles, per the Times. In the Southwest, hotter temperatures during summer months could result in a 25% loss of physical work capacity for agricultural workers, per CNN. Additionally, it's expected that facilities supplying solar and wind power will require between 3% and 13% of land in the contiguous US, according to the assessment.

(More climate change stories.)