DEEP DIVE: EPA Report Shows Climate Change Is Becoming a Critical Component of Our Lives

21 July 2024 had the distinction of being the hottest day on record, according to an analysis by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) of global daily temperature data, with a global average temperature of 62.76°F. That record lasted one day and was broken on 22 July 2024.

“In a year that has been the hottest on record to date, these past two weeks have been particularly brutal,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

These extreme temperatures, as well as other indicators of climate change, are part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases, according to NASA.

Earlier in the month, on 2 July 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the fifth edition of Climate Change Indicators in the United States, a comprehensive presentation of the data-based evidence for climate change and its potential impact on human health and the environment.

According to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, the report demonstrates the extent to which climate change is becoming a critical component of everyone's lives.

“Extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires have become more common, harming human health, threatening livelihoods, and causing costly damage,” said Regan. “Regular updates to the data in the Climate Change Indicators website and report help us track these unprecedented changes so we are better informed in our shared work to confront the crisis.”

The report aims to help citizens, public organizations, and governments identify the evidence for climate change to enhance their approach to risk mitigation and social, environmental, and economic resilience.

The Role Climate Change Plays in Our Daily Lives

To draw a clear and accessible picture of the role of climate change in our lives, the report incorporates 37 of the EPA's 57 climate change indicators, which the EPA has created in partnership with government agencies, academic institutions, and other research organizations. These indicators cover broad geographic and time-based scales to the extent the available data allows, and they show general, long-term trends to demonstrate the ways in which our climate is changing. Each indicator uses publicly available, peer-reviewed data from scientific literature, and experts evaluate each indicator to ensure the presentation is transparent and unambiguous.

The report draws some important conclusions, including the following:

• The majority of the world's carbon dioxide emissions come from three regions: East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and the United States. Together, these regions accounted for 75% of global emissions in 2020.
• There were 986 workplace deaths from heat across the U.S. between 1992 and 2022. Of those deaths, 334, or 34%, were in the construction industry.
• Ocean temperatures have increased over the past 50 years to a temperature that is consistently higher than at any time since record-keeping began in the 1880s. Warmer ocean temperatures are causing longer hurricane seasons with more severe storms.

The report organizes the 37 climate indicators into eight chapters.

1. Greenhouse Gases (GHG) focuses on the impact of accumulated emissions on the atmosphere, land, and oceans. Indicators in this chapter include global GHG emissions, U.S. GHG emissions, and atmospheric concentrations of GHGs.
2. Heat on the Rise looks at warming temperatures, extreme heat events, and their impact on human health and the U.S. power grid. Indicators in this chapter include global temperatures, heat-related deaths, and residential energy use.
3. Extreme Events examines how rising global temperatures contribute to extreme events like hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires.
4. Water Resources at Risk looks at the ways in which climate change contributes to drought, earlier snowmelt, decreasing amounts of snow, and marine ecosystems.
5. Changing Seasons looks at the changes in timing, duration, and intensity of seasonal conditions resulting from climate change. Indicators in this chapter include seasonal temperature, snowfall, leaf and bloom dates, and length of growing season.
6. Ocean Impacts focuses on the ways in which GHG emissions are impacting marine ecosystems. Ocean heat, marine species distribution, and ocean acidity are some of the indicators examined in the chapter.
7. Rising Seas looks at the sea-level rise, including coastal flooding resulting from melting ice sheets and glaciers.
8. Alaska's Warming Climate considers Alaska as a leading indicator for the impact of climate change, since the Arctic is warming more quickly than the rest of the world. The report examines indicators such as Arctic Sea ice, the Black Guillemots of Cooper Island, permafrost, and leaf and bloom dates.

While these impacts will be felt in the U.S. and across the world, they will not impact every community in the same way. “It's important to note that these changes will not be experienced equally,” said an EPA spokesperson, “as some communities have faced and will continue to face disproportionate impacts of climate change due to existing vulnerabilities, including socioeconomic disparities, historical patterns of inequity, and systemic environmental injustices.”

Making Changes for the Future

Although the indicators and the evidence they support seem grim, the purpose of the report is to do more than provide a litany of potential catastrophes. Instead, the goal is to celebrate victories and to promote the remedies that could help to mitigate climate change.

“Ultimately, the EPA's indicators demonstrate the importance of taking steps to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for current and future impacts,” said the EPA spokesperson. “To that end, the report also offers examples of how communities across the country are taking action today to address these risks. These stories aim to serve as motivation for other readers and communities to take action of their own.”

The Climate Change Indicators report is one of many resources the EPA provides to help citizens, organizations, and governments understand and mitigate climate change risk.

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Editor's note: 3E is expanding news coverage to provide customers with insights into topics that enable a safer, more sustainable world by protecting people, safeguarding products, and helping businesses grow. Deep Dive articles, produced by reporters, feature interviews with subject matter experts and influencers as well as exclusive analysis provided by 3E researchers and consultants.