SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Past years of modeling, forecasting and predicting climate change are now becoming a reality.
According to a new United Nations climate report, extreme weather events like flooding, wildfires, droughts and heat waves are only expected to get worse in the near future.
The report details how the world will change as global temperatures continue to warm toward the 1.5°C threshold set forth in the Paris Agreement. If temperatures warm beyond that level, the changes seen now will be nearly irreversible.
Multi-year droughts and wildfires in California becoming even more extreme. Reduced snowpack and changes to snowpack consistency will also alter the water supply chain.
Water issues along with warming temperatures will make it increasingly difficult to grow food. It's likely agricultural regions will be shifting north to find a more suitable environment for production.
Wildlife and marine life could also be also impacted as they migrate to find more sustainable living conditions.
The report also goes into more detail than ever before about identifying people most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change: the elderly, poor, homeless, outdoor laborers and indigenous peoples.
All these impacts emphasize the need for sustainable development and for addressing issues of equity and justice.
Experts saying these changes will be difficult and chaotic at times, but they are necessary to sustain life as we know it.
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