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Fifth National Climate Assessment - Read the Report

Third National Climate Assessment

Cover of Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment

The Third National Climate Assessment, Climate Change Impacts in the United States, was published in 2014 and summarizes the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. A team of more than 300 experts guided by a 60-member Federal Advisory Committee produced the report, which was extensively reviewed by the public and experts, including federal agencies and a panel of the National Academy of Sciences.​

View the full report

USGCRP's Third National Climate Assessment (NCA) was informed by extensive public input gathered through town hall meetings, public comment periods, technical workshops, and other participatory opportunities across the country. The NCA engagement strategy leveraged science and assessment capacity across the country while working to ensure that the process and outcomes were accessible and useful to stakeholders. The information below documents stakeholder engagement around the Third NCA.

Public Comment Periods

Listening Sessions

Process & Methodology Workshops

Sectoral, Regional, & Crosscutting Topical Meetings

Regional Town Hall Meetings

Individuals and teams were invited to submit technical inputs for consideration by the National Climate Assessment & Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) in drafting the Third NCA. Information and guidance related to the first step in this process, submitting expressions of interest, can be found in the following documents:
The inputs targeting the Third NCA report were due by March 1, 2012. For more information, please see the Federal Register Notices above or contact the Engagement staff
 
Please note that these reports were submitted independently to the NCA program for consideration and have not been reviewed by the NCADAC.

Sectors

Health

Agriculture

  • Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation (2012); USDA Technical Bulletin 1935 PDF | Report FAQs

Biodiversity & Ecosystems

Forests

  • Effects of Climatic Variability and Change on Forest Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the U.S. Forest Sector; Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-870, USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station PDF | Report FAQs

Energy

Water

Sectoral Crosscuts

Rural Communities

Biogeochemical Cycles

Urban Systems

Energy-Water-Land

Land Use & Land Cover Change

Regions

Regional Crosscuts

Coasts 

Oceans

Scenarios

Adaptation, Mitigation, & Decision Support

Explore the Third National Climate Assessment and Highlights on the web or download supplemental materials below.

Overview and Report Findings

Climate Trends and Regional Impacts

Climate Trends & Regional Impacts Brochure

Graphics and Presentations

Graphics are available by chapter as zip files. Presentations for each chapter were prepared by USGCRP staff and are meant to be used by anyone wishing to include information from the NCA in lectures. Each chapter's presentation contains the chapter's key messages and graphics; the notes field includes figure labels and captions.

  1. Report Findings presentation (also includes NCA background and process)

  2. Our Changing Climate graphics | presentation

Sectors

  1. Water Resources graphics | presentation

  2. Energy Supply and Use graphics | presentation

  3. Transportation graphics | presentation

  4. Agriculture graphics | presentation

  5. Forests graphics | presentation

  6. Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services graphics | presentation

  7. Human Health graphics | presentation

  8. Energy, Water, and Land Use graphics | presentation

  9. Urban Systems, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability graphics | presentation

  10. Indigenous Peoples, Lands, and Resources graphics | presentation

  11. Land Use and Land Cover Change graphics | presentation

  12. Rural Communities graphics | presentation

  13. Biogeochemical Cycles graphics | presentation

Regions

  1. Northeast graphics | presentation

  2. Southeast and the Caribbean graphics | presentation

  3. Midwest graphics | presentation

  4. Great Plains graphics | presentation

  5. Southwest graphics | presentation

  6. Northwest graphics | presentation

  7. Alaska graphics | presentation

  8. Hawai‘i and U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands graphics | presentation

  9. Oceans and Marine Resources graphics | presentation

  10. Coastal Zone Development and Ecosystems graphics | presentation

Response Strategies

  1. Decision Support: Connecting Science, Risk Perception, and Decisions graphics | presentation

  2. Mitigation graphics | presentation

  3. Adaptation graphics | presentation

Appendix 1: Report Development Process graphics | presentation (also includes Report Findings)
Appendix 3: Climate Science Supplement graphics
Appendix 4: Climate Science: Frequently Asked Questions graphics
Appendix 5: Scenarios and Models graphics

A number of organizations involved in NCAnet have produced resources related to USGCRP's Third National Climate Assessment. USGCRP provides the below links to these external resources for informational purposes only, and does not make any representation as to the accuracy of information, endorse any views expressed, or endorse or approve any commercial products or private interests that may be advertised or available on these sites.

A 60-person Federal Advisory Committee (The "National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee" or NCADAC) oversaw the development of the draft climate report.  The NCADAC was established under the Department of Commerce in December 2010 and is supported through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is a federal advisory committee established as per the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972. The Committee serves to oversee the activities of the National Climate Assessment. Its members are diverse in background, expertise, geography and sector. A list of the committee’s decisions and actions is available on our NCADAC info page.

The NCADAC engaged more than 250 authors in the creation of the report. The authors are acknowledged at the beginning of the chapters they co-authored.

A draft report was released in January 2013 for a 90-day public comment period. Over 4,000 public comments were received and addressed by the authors. A panel of the National Academies also reviewed the draft report and published its consensus report. The report was revised by the authors in response to the public comments and National Academies review.  NCADAC then submitted the Government Review Draft and the derivative Highlights document for formal interagency review. Final versions of the Third NCA and Highlights were adopted by NCADAC on May 6, 2014, and submitted to the Federal government.

The Public Review Draft, Government Review Draft, and NCADAC-approved Final Report can be found below.


To access and read the public review draft, government review draft, please download the full PDFs or individual chapters below. 

Draft for Public Review of the National Climate Assessment Report

Download the Full Draft for Public Review (Warning, the file is large)

Between chapters, there are some page numbers that are not used. This is intentional and does not reflect missing pages.

Draft for Public Review - Individual Chapter Downloads

  1. Executive Summary (Draft)

  2. Our Changing Climate (Draft)

Introduction to Sectors (Draft)

  1. Water Resource (Draft)

  2. Energy Supply Use (Draft)

  3. Transportation (Draft)

  4. Agriculture (Draft)

  5. Forestry (Draft)

  6. Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services (Draft)

  7. Human Health (Draft)

  8. Water, Energy, and Land Use (Draft)

  9. Urban Systems, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability (Draft)

  10. Impacts of Climate Change on Tribal, Indigenous, and Native Lands and Resources (Draft)

  11. Land Use and Land Cover Change (Draft)

  12. Rural Communities (Draft)

  13. Interactions of Climate Change and Biogeochemical Cycles (Draft)

Introduction to Regions (Draft)

  1. Northeast (Draft)

  2. Southeast & Caribbean (Draft)

  3. Midwest (Draft)

  4. Great Plains (Draft)

  5. Southwest (Draft)

  6. Northwest (Draft)

  7. Alaska & the Arctic (Draft)

  8. Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (Draft)

  9. Oceans and Marine Resources (Draft)

  10. Coastal Zone Development and Ecosystems (Draft)

Introduction to Response Strategies (Draft)

  1. Decision Support: Supporting Policy, Planning, and Resource Management Decisions in a Climate Change Context (Draft)

  2. Mitigation (Draft)

  3. Adaptation (Draft)

  4. Research Agenda for Climate Change Science (Draft)

  5. The NCA Long-Term Process: Vision and Future Development (Draft)

Appendix I: NCA Climate Science - Addressing Commonly Asked Questions from A to Z (Draft)

Appendix II: The Science of Climate Change (Draft)

 

Draft for Government Review of the National Climate Assessment Report
Download the Full Draft for Government Review (Warning, the file is large)

Draft for Government Review Individual Chapter Downloads

About this Report [Draft]

  1. Overview and Report Findings [Draft]

  2. Our Changing Climate [Draft]

Introduction to the Sectors [Draft]

  1. Water Resources [Draft]

  2. Energy Supply and Use [Draft]

  3. Transportation [Draft]

  4. Agriculture [Draft]

  5. Forests [Draft]

  6. Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services [Draft]

  7. Human Health [Draft]

  8. Energy, Water, and Land Use [Draft]

  9. Urban Systems, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability [Draft]

  10. Indigenous Peoples, Lands, and Resources [Draft]

  11. Land Use and Land Cover Change [Draft]

  12. Rural Communities [Draft]

  13. Biogeochemical Cycles [Draft]

Introduction to the Regions [Draft]

  1. Northeast [Draft]

  2. Southeast and the Caribbean [Draft]

  3. Midwest [Draft]

  4. Great Plains [Draft]

  5. Southwest [Draft]

  6. Northwest [Draft]

  7. Alaska [Draft]

  8. Hawai‘i and U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands [Draft]

  9. Oceans and Marine Resources [Draft]

  10. Coastal Zone Development and Ecosystems [Draft]

Introduction to Response Strategies [Draft]

  1. Decision Support: Connecting Science, Risk Perception, and Decisions [Draft]

  2. Mitigation [Draft]

  3. Adaptation [Draft]

  4. Research Needs for Climate and Global Change Assessments [Draft]

  5. Sustained Assessment: A New Vision for Future U.S. Assessments [Draft]

Appendices

A1. Report Development Process [Draft] 
A2. Information Quality Assurance Process [Draft] 
A3. Climate Science [Draft] 
A4. Climate Science: Frequently Asked Questions [Draft] 
A5. Scenarios and Models [Draft] 
A6. Topics for Consideration in Future Assessments [Draft]

Abbreviations and Acronyms [Draft]