Explore historical and projected climate data, climate data by sector, impacts, key vulnerabilities and what adaptation measures are being taken. Explore the overview for a general context of how climate change is affecting United States.
The United States is located in North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico. It has a total land area of 9,147,593 km2 of which 44.5% is agricultural and 33.3% is forests. The US has a population of 329,256,465 of which 82% live in urban areas. Until 2014, the US economy stood as the largest in the world in terms of GDP (PPP). In 2017, US had a GDP (PPP) of $19.49 trillion, to which services contributed 80%, industry 19.1% and agriculture 0.9%. According to the latest US National Climate Assessment (2018), U.S. average temperature has increased by 1.3°F to 1.9°F since 1895; most of this increase has occurred since about 1970. Sectors most affected by climate changes include agriculture, water, human health, energy, transportation, forests, and ecosystems. Vulnerability to climate change is exacerbated by other stresses such as pollution, habitat, fragmentation, and poverty. Although substantial adaptation planning is occurring in the public and private sectors and at all levels of government, few measures have been implemented and those that have appear to be incremental changes. Barriers to implementation of adaptation include limited funding, policy and legal impediments, and difficulty in anticipating climate-related changes at local scales.
The section provides access to historical climate datasets for both temperature and precipitation from 1900 to 2016.
The section provides access to future climate datasets for both temperature and precipitation and their statistical derivatives for various timeframes and emission scenarios from 2020 to 2099.
The section provides access to future climate datasets for both temperature and precipitation and their statistical derivatives for various timeframes and emission scenarios from 2020 to 2099.
This section contains information from multiple climate indicators and indices relevant for key economic sectors. Simple narratives can help you interpret and extract summaries of potential climate change impacts at the sector level.
Explore furtherThis section allows you to explore the susceptibility of livelihoods and natural systems to impacts from climate variability and change and facilitate the exploration of socioeconomic and development data and its relationships with natural hazards vulnerable areas.
Explore furtherThis section allows you to explore the climate information from multiple climate indicators and present them with simple, embedded interpretation for an informative, high-level summary of the potential for future climate change impacts on key socioeconomic sectors.
Explore furtherThis section helps you grasp key national adaptation policies and reports, explore options for key sectors, and understand current adaptation gaps and needs for enhanced climate smart planning.
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