News•May 5, 2014

Climate Central at White House for NCA Launch

By Climate Central

Tuesday marks the release of the latest National Climate Assessment, one of the most comprehensive analyses of climate change in the U.S. To commemorate the launch, the White House is hosting a series of events Tuesday, one of which that will include Climate Central meteorologist Bernadette Woods Placky and a handful of meteorologists who are part of Climate Matters, a program that provides broadcasters information on the weather-climate connection.

This will be the third iteration of the National Climate Assessment, which is put together by 13 federal agencies that have expertise in climate change and its impacts on the U.S. The report, which in its final version will be close to a 1,000 pages, says that average temperatures have risen 1.5°F since 1895 with 80 percent of that increase coming since 1980. The report details how climate change impacts are already being felt in the U.S. and notes that unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut, those impacts will only grow.

To launch the report, the White House will hold a stakeholder event that will be livestreamed starting at 2 p.m. ET. Woods Placky will be on hand for the event as will Jim Gandy and John Morales, two meteorologists who work with Climate Central’s Climate Matters program. Climate Matters is a collaborative effort between Climate Central and more than 120 meteorologists across the country who report on the connection between weather and climate change. Gandy and Morales will also interview President Obama about the National Climate Assessment.

Climate Central has previously partnered with the White House on the Climate Data Initiative, a program designed to bring climate information to web developers and decision makers. The initiative includes Climate Central’s Surging Seas tool, which let’s users explore the impacts of sea level rise on coastal communities around the U.S.