Leaked climate change report paints grim forecast

WASHINGTON—A new report on climate change from 13 federal agencies asserts the earth’s average temperature is rising and human activity could be to blame. The draft report, which leaked to The New York Times on Tuesday, claims the last few decades are the warmest in the last 1,500 years. “Evidence for a changing climate abounds, from the top of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans,” the report says. Thousands of scientists at federal agencies tasked with tracking the climate created the 545-page report as part of the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment, updated every four years. The National Academy of Sciences approved the draft report, but its authors are awaiting permission from the Trump administration to distribute it officially, according to the Times. Several scientists who worked on the report said they feared the Trump administration would attempt to suppress it, rather than making the findings public. The study said temperatures in every part of the United States continue to rise. It predicts average increases of 5 to 7.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, depending on future emission levels. While many scientists argue climate change is man-made, others maintain a complex network of factors contributes to fluctuating temperatures and cyclical weather patterns. And past predictions of dire global warming have failed to materialize, highlighting the difficulty of accurate computer modeling.

Editor’s note: The New York Times retracted claims it leaked the government report on climate change. Read WORLD’s updated report.