US environmental agency releases climate report delayed by Trump

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
A volunteer fire fighter doing training
Wildfire season is growing longer, the report found

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a major climate change report that had been delayed by the Trump White House since 2017.

The Climate Change Indicators report takes in data from dozens of US agencies, and shows the damage climate change has already caused.

Much of the information is well-known. Glaciers are shrinking, sea levels are rising and flooding is increasing.

The impacts are being felt by Americans "with increasing regularity", it says.

Under former President Donald Trump, the EPA's Climate Change Indicators website was not updated, as it had been under his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Mr Trump has long been a sceptic of human-caused climate change, at times calling it a "hoax".

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement on Wednesday announcing the resumption of the report: "Combatting climate change - it's not optional. It's essential at EPA.

"We will move with a sense of urgency because we know what's at stake.

"We know that tackling the climate crisis is the single best opportunity we have to strengthen our economy, to put people back to work and to build a healthier, more equitable environment for our communities across America."

What does the report find?

Coastal flooding is becoming more common, especially in cities along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Floods are now five times more common in the cities surveyed than in the 1950s.

Arctic sea ice is thinning, and the minimum extent of its coverage has been getting smaller each summer. September 2020 saw the second smallest amount of Arctic sea ice ever recorded.

The average decrease for that month amounts to about 900,000 sq miles (1,450,000 sq km) - "a difference three and a half times the size of Texas", the report says.

Ocean temperatures also hit a record-breaking high in 2020 and the water has grown more acidic over the past decade.

Wildfire season and pollen season are both starting earlier and lasting longer.

Heat waves are occurring about three times more often than in the 1960s.

The amount of energy use in the summer has nearly doubled since 1973. In 2015, air conditioning accounted for 17% of the average American household's energy consumption.

Incidents of Lyme disease have nearly doubled since 1991. It comes as ticks, the blood-sucking insects that spread the virus, appear in regions such as parts of Canada where they were previously unable to survive the cold.

Recommended Stories

  • Revamped EPA website shows increased climate change risks

    After a gap of more than four years, the Environmental Protection Agency is relaunching a website highlighting evidence of climate change in the United States, including rising temperatures, increased ocean acidity, sea level rise, river flooding, droughts, heat waves and wildfires. EPA unveiled the revamped website on Climate Change Indicators on Wednesday, calling it a “comprehensive resource” that presents clear and compelling evidence of changes to the climate. The website was effectively suspended under President Donald Trump, who did not allow information on the site to be updated and who repeatedly disputed or downplayed the effects of climate change.

  • U.S. sees escalating climate change impacts, EPA report finds

    The Environmental Protection Agency released a report on Wednesday warning of disturbing changes across the United States caused at least partially by global warming.Why it matters: The report was delayed for three years under the Trump administration. The former president and his officials, including EPA administrators, disputed the scientific evidence on global warming and rolled back several Obama-era climate policies.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe account, part of the EPA's effort to relaunch its climate change website, illustrates the current administration's approach to climate. "Climate facts are back on EPA's website where they should be," EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.Our thought bubble, via Axios' Andrew Freedman: The updated "Climate Indicators" site depicts a country increasingly buffeted by the effects of climate change. It's noteworthy that the agency moved to add new indicators based on scientific data that has come out in the past few years, and signals the Biden administration's approach to communicating science.Details: In 2020, ocean heat hit its highest level in recorded history, causing marine heat waves and coral bleaching.Wildfire and pollen seasons are beginning earlier each year and spanning a longer duration.Thawing permafrost in Alaska, the loss of winter ice on the Great Lakes and a surge in summer heat waves across the U.S. also indicate the effects of unprecedented climate change.What they're saying: "We want to reach people in every corner of this country because there is no small town, city or rural community that’s unaffected by the climate crisis," Regan told reporters Wednesday, per Washington Post. "Americans are seeing and feeling the impacts up close with increasing regularity."Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • Samantha Bee Wants to Use Comedy to Fight Gun Violence

    Samantha Bee is getting ready to tackle one of modern culture’s most serious topics — with comedy. On Wednesday, her “Full Frontal” program on TBS will focus entirely on the challenges of gun violence in America. “Full Frontal Wants To Take Your Guns” will air Wed. May 12 at 10:30 p.m. eastern. The opening segment […]

  • Pulisic: Chelsea were unlucky in loss to Arsenal

    Christian Pulisic shares his thoughts after Chelsea fell to Arsenal 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to add more drama to the Premier League's top-four race.

  • India Covid: Dozens more bodies wash up on Ganges river bank

    A further 50 corpses are found on embankments, this time in Uttar Pradesh, as India battles Covid.

  • I tried popular TikTok beauty products, here’s what’s actually worth buying

    We’ve tried and tested the platform’s most viral skincare, make-up and hair tools

  • Tom Cruise Addresses Shouting at Mission Impossible Crew Over COVID, Calls Situation 'Emotional'

    The actor lashed out at crew members on the set of Mission: Impossible 7 late last year over COVID-19 protocols being neglected

  • NFL futures: Do you believe in the Raiders' rebuilding plan?

    With Wednesday night's NFL schedule release — and all the schedules that have already leaked — there’s no better time to look at some season win totals that caught our eye.

  • Firing squad bill headed to South Carolina governor's desk

    Legislation adding a firing squad to South Carolina's execution methods amid a lack of lethal-injection drugs is headed to the desk of Gov. Henry McMaster. On a routine vote Wednesday, the state Senate concurred with a version of the legislation, approved last week by House lawmakers. McMaster has not yet said when he will sign the bill into law, although his office said it would happen as soon as the bill was ratified, which could happen in a matter of days.

  • Israeli strikes hit Gaza as violence escalates

    Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza into Wednesday morning, as the Islamist group and other Palestinian militants fired multiple rocket barrages at Tel Aviv and the Southern city of Beer Sheva.One multi-story residential building in Gaza collapsed and another was heavily damaged after they were repeatedly hit by Israeli air strikes.Israel said its jets had targeted and killed several Hamas intelligence leaders early in the day. Other strikes targeted what the military said were rocket launch sites, Hamas offices and the homes of Hamas leaders.

  • ThredUp stock falls after first post-IPO earnings report

    Shares of ThredUp drop nearly 8% late Wednesday as investors gave the cold shoulder to both online secondhand retailers reporting quarterly results in the extended session.

  • The Latest: Netanyahu raps 'anarchy' of Jewish-Arab fighting

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is condemning the “anarchy” of Jewish-Arab violence in cities across the country after a day of tumultuous unrest. Netanyahu said Wednesday that “nothing justifies” Jews attacking Arabs or Arabs attacking Jews. WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden says that “Israel has a right to defend itself” amid a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas and other Palestinian groups from Gaza.

  • Blunt, Hawley: Listen to Missourians about gun loophole that led to my wife’s death

    Because of the “Charleston loophole,” it’s easy to arm someone who wouldn’t pass the FBI background check.

  • South Florida’s Miccosukee Tribe among Native Americans likely to get more CARES Act money

    The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida could receive more relief funds from the federal government — amid ongoing litigation after the U.S. Treasury Department initially excluded the South Florida tribe from the coronavirus aid package passed last year at the beginning of the pandemic.

  • Rockets hit Israel as airstrikes pound Gaza Strip

    Israel has killed a string of senior Hamas military figures and pounded three multistory towers as it hammers the Gaza Strip with airstrikes. Meanwhile, militants in the territory fired barrages of rockets Wednesday. (May 12)

  • The next few days will be crucial in deciding where the violence in Gaza and Jerusalem will lead

    The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is approaching a critical juncture as mass protests sweep across Jerusalem, Israeli forces carry out airstrikes in Gaza and waves of rockets continue to rain down on Israeli towns near the southern border. On Monday night, the Israeli military launched Operation Guardian of the Walls, a major offensive which as of Monday morning has already killed 15 Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives. There are also reports of civilian casualties, including nine children according to Palestinian officials. The operation was in response to a rocket attack by Hamas on Jerusalem, which caused no deaths or serious injuries but was regarded as a major provocation by Israel. Meanwhile, clashes at the ancient al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City, as well as in Damascus Gate and the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, have wounded hundreds of Palestinians and two dozen Israeli police officers.

  • Norway drops AstraZeneca vaccine, J&J remains on hold

    OSLO (Reuters) -Norway will not resume use of the COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, and a decision on whether to include Johnson & Johnson shots in its mass inoculation scheme remains on hold, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Wednesday. A government-appointed commission had recommended that both vaccines be excluded from Norway's programme due to the risk of rare but harmful side-effects. Authorities on March 11 suspended the AstraZeneca rollout after a small number of inoculated people, some of whom later died, were hospitalised for a combination of blood clots, bleeding and a low platelet count.

  • Falcons confident Hayden Hurst fits in offense with Kyle Pitts

    The future of the Falcons tight end position is Kyle Pitts, but the team is confident that there’s still a place for Hayden Hurst in the present. Pitts figures to be a major part of the offense, but tight ends coach Justin Peelle thinks Hurst will also play a significant role in their plans. Falcons [more]

  • Dr Fauci once again schools Rand Paul after GOP senator peddles Covid misinformation

    ‘You are saying things that are not correct’, says infuriated NIAID director

  • Mystic Aquarium getting 5 Beluga whales from Canada

    Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut is preparing for the arrival of five Beluga whales from a zoo and amusement park in Canada after navigating approval processes on both sides of the U.S. border and overcoming legal challenges from environmental groups. Government officials from Fisheries and Oceans Canada recently approved the export of the whales from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario to Mystic, which specializes in Beluga research. Experts from both facilities were in Niagara Falls Wednesday examining the four female and one male Belugas and preparing to fly them to Connecticut as early as this weekend, according to Stephen Coan, the Connecticut aquarium’s president and chief executive.