Heat waves, droughts, and downpours across the United States are likely to increase according to a White House report released Tuesday — and experts say all we might be able to do now is prepare for what’s to come.
“People have this perception of this being an issue that affects our kids but not us, or affects polar bears in the Arctic but not us, and what this report really brings home is the fact that climate change is affecting us right here, today,” said Katharine Hayhoe, a lead author of National Climate Assessment report.
The report lays out how dramatic changes in weather, from rising heat to too much water on the East Coast and too little water on the West, will likely impact the U.S. in coming decades.