Global Temperatures

Will continue to rise as human activities continue to produce excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases to our atmosphere. The majority of the United States is expected to experience an increase in average temperature in our near future.
Regional precipitation shifts will cause droughts where they are uncommon, which are also very important to consider when assessing climate change effects, and more difficult to predict.
Whether or not rainfall will increase or decrease remains difficult to project for specific regions. The extent of climate change effects,  or whether these effects prove harmful or beneficial, will vary by region, over time, and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to adapt to or cope with those change.
Some low-latitude and polar regions are expected to experience net costs even for small increases in temperature. For increases in temperature greater than 2-3°C (3.6-5.4°F), the IPCC says it is very likely that all regions will experience either declines in net benefits or increases in net costs. “Taken as a whole,” the IPCC concludes, “the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.”

Regional Effects of Climate Change!

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), North America is projected to warm between 3.6-18 °F (2-10 °C) by 2100, depending on the region. The large range in warming reflects large projected increases in Arctic temperatures in northern Alaska and Canada, uncertainties in future emissions, the climate's response to those emissions, and the difficulty of projecting future climate change at the regional level.

To address some of the central areas of research on this topic, including uncertainties in projections of regional climate change, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) has initiated 21 separate analyses to be completed over the next two to three years.

The following list, while not comprehensive, provides illustrative examples of some of the higher likelihood effects of climate change in different parts of the United States.

In the Northeast:

• Northward shifts in the ranges of plant and animal species resulting from warmer temperatures Coastal erosion, loss of wetland habitat, increased risk from storm surges from sea level rise Reduced winter recreation (skiing); increased warm season activities Higher summer heat and increase in heat-related morbidity and mortality, especially in urban areas; reduced winter cold stress with associated decrease in cold-related mortality Increase vulnerability of infrastructure (e.g. roads and utilities) from extreme events such as coastal flooding

In the Southeast and Gulf Coast:

• Increased coastal erosion including loss of barrier islands and wetlands
• Intense coastal zone development places coastal floodplains at risk to flooding from sea level rise, storm surge, and extreme precipitation events
• Changing forest character as disturbances (e.g., fire and insect outbreaks) increase
• Higher summer heat; reduced winter cold stress

In the Midwest and Great Lakes:

• Lowered lake and river levels, resulting from warmer temperatures and increased evaporation, impact recreation and shipping
• Warming lake and river temperatures leading to reductions in many fish stocks
• Decrease in water quality leading to habitat loss and eutrophication
• Increased agricultural productivity in many regions resulting from increased carbon dioxide and warmer temperatures
• Higher summer heat and increase in heat-related morbidity and mortality, especially in urban areas; reduced winter cold stress with associated decrease in cold-related mortality

In the Great Plains:

• Agricultural productivity shifts northward as the potential for drought increases
• Intensified springtime flood and summertime drought cycles
• Higher summer heat; reduced winter cold stress

In the West:

• Changes in natural ecosystems resulting from higher temperatures and possibly intensified winter precipitation
• Earlier snowmelt and significant reductions in snow pack stressing some reservoir systems
• Decreased yields of crops that are already near climate thresholds such as California wine grapes
• Increased stress on groundwater systems leading to decreased recharge
• Higher summer heat; reduced winter cold stress
• Increased wildfire potential

Alaska:

• Forest disruption resulting from warming and increased pest outbreaks
• General increase in biological production from warming; but reduced sea ice and warming disrupts polar bears, marine mammals, and other wildlife
• Damage to infrastructure resulting from permafrost melting
• Retreating sea ice and earlier snowmelt alter native people's traditional life styles
• Opportunities for warm season activities increase