The Environmental Protection Agency released a report today in order to help readers interpret 24 indicators in order to better understand climate change, and its impact primarily on the U.S. It does note, however, that some global trends are included in order to provide context or a basis for comparison.
According to the EPA, an indicator “represents the state of certain environmental conditions over a given area and a specified period of time.” The indicators are grouped into five categories, or chapters:
- Greenhouse Gases
- Weather and Climate
- Oceans
- Snow and Ice
- Society and Ecosystems
According to the introduction, the report includes the following for each indicator:
- One or more graphics showing trends over time
- A list of key points
- Text that describes how the indicator relates to climate change, how the indicator was developed, and any factors that might contribute to uncertainty in the trend or the supporting data (referred to in this report as “indicator limitations”)
The EPA plans to use the indicators to collect data and analysis to do the following:
- Monitor the effects/impacts of climate change in the United States
- Assist decision–makers on how to best use policymaking and program resources to respond to climate change
- Assist EPA and its constituents in evaluating the success of their climate change efforts
Further reading: Climate Change Indicators in the United States, full report (PDF).
