Report Documents Current Effects of Global Warming

An interesting report from the University of Maryland's Joint Global Change Research Institute documents the current effects of climate change in the U.S. This report is of interest because (1) it identifies effects that are specific enough that they might be the subject of litigation, and (2) it is authoritative, and therefore will likely be cited as a foundation for an expert opinion. Some of the effects that the report identifies are:

• Increased risk of crop failures


• Reduced productivity of livestock and dairy animals


• Increasing forest fires, insect outbreaks and tree mortality


• Changes in precipitation and drought patterns