The National Climate Assessment offers a wealth of actionable science about the causes, effects, risks and possible responses to human-caused climate change. NOAA, the NCAnet Education Affinity Group, and members of the CLEAN Network have developed a series of guides for educators that focus on the regional chapters of the Assessment Report, helping to unpack the key messages of each region and point to related, high-quality online resources.
Explore the NCA Report Findings
Click here to see them all »
- Report Finding 1: Global climate is changing and this is apparent across the United States in a wide range of observations. The global warming of the past 50 years is primarily due to human activities, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels. Learn More.
- Report Finding 2: Some extreme weather and climate events have increased in recent decades, and new and stronger evidence confirms that some of these increases are related to human activities. Learn More.
- Report Finding 3: Human-induced climate change is projected to continue, and it will accelerate significantly if global emissions of heat-trapping gasses continue to increase. Learn More.
- Report Finding 4: Impacts related to climate change are already evident in many sectors and are expected to become increasingly disruptive across the nation throughout this century and beyond. Learn More.
- Report Finding 5: Climate change threatens human health and well-being in many ways, including through more extreme weather events and wildfire, decreased air quality, and diseases transmitted by insects, food and water. Learn More.
- Report Finding 6: Infrastructure is being damaged by sea level rise, heavy downpours, and extreme heat; damages are projected to increase with continued climate change. Learn More.
- Report Finding 7: Water quality and water supply reliability are jeopardized by climate change in a variety of ways that affect ecosystems and livelihoods. Learn More.
- Report Finding 8: Climate disruptions to agriculture have been increasing and are projected to become more severe over this century. Learn More.
- Report Finding 9: Climate change poses particular threats to Indigenous Peoples' health, well-being, and ways of life. Learn More.
- Report Finding 10: Ecosystems and the benefits they provide to society are being affected by climate change. The capacity of ecosystems to buffer the impacts of extreme events like fires, floods, and severe storms is being overwhelmed. Learn More.
- Report Finding 11: Ocean waters are becoming warmer and more acidic, broadly affecting ocean circulation, chemistry, ecosystems, and marine life. Learn More.
- Report Finding 12: Planning for adaptation (to address and prepare for impacts) and mitigation (to reduce future climate change, for example, by cutting emissions) is becoming more widespread, but current implementation efforts are insufficient to avoid increasingly negative social, environmental, and economic consequences. Learn More.
Regional support pages
 |
||||
| Regions: | ||||
| Northeast | Southeast and Caribbean | Midwest | Great Plains | Southwest |
| Northwest | Alaska | Hawai’i and Pacific Islands | Coasts | Ocean |
Overview support pages
What is the National Climate Assessment (NCA)?
The National Climate Assessment and the Next Generation Science Standards
