Amidst a Wave of Climate Reports, the Northeast Climate Hub Launches Its 2024 Project Catalogue

The Northeast Climate Hub is excited to share the new 2024 Project Catalogue

This year's projects include climate risk assessments for agriculture, aquaculture, and forestry. Projects also involve developing forest climate indicators to help forest managers plan better. Additionally, they include peer-to-peer climate learning for dairy farmers and others. We’re also using arts and film to spread the word about climate change to broader audience. All these projects show our commitment to addressing the climate crisis and working towards a sustainable future for all.

Introducing the Catalogue Amid a Wave of Climate Change Reports

We publish this catalogue amidst a wave of climate change reports that are in the news (Figure 1). These include big reports. For example, the U.S. Global Change Research Program's "Fifth National Climate Assessment" and the UN's "IPCC Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report". They also include more focused studies like “The Global Tipping Points” by the University of Exeter and “The Global Carbon Budget 2023” by the Global Carbon Project. These reports offer a deep dive into what is happening with our climate right now.

Figure 1

What these Reports Tell Us

Altogether, these reports give a clear picture of our changing climate. They highlight the steady increase in air temperature. It is now 1.1^o C above the 20th-century mean¹. They also point out rising levels of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. It is now over 420 parts per million². They also show rain and snow patterns are changing, and how we’re seeing more extreme events and wildfires. Increasingly, they pay more attention to how wildfire smoke affects our health and environment.

The reports warn about critical tipping points. These include changes in ocean currents, melting ice, and plants and animals going extinct. They also discuss how climate change is affecting different sectors. These include agriculture, forestry, industry, commerce, and tourism. The reports offer strategies for adaptation and mitigation. They provide granular detail on social, natural, and engineered solutions. More often, they highlight the need for climate equity. This means that everyone shares the costs and benefits of dealing with climate change.

These reports all point out that we’re getting closer to a 1.5^o C global temperature increase. This threshold could bring irreversible changes to our planet. However, most reports point out that we already have the necessary technology and tools to keep temperatures below this threshold. This includes solar power, carbon capture technologies, electric vehicles, and natural climate solutions. However, they stress the urgency to act fast to avoid reaching these critical tipping points.

The Problem of Climate Misinformation

Despite all this science, there’s still a lot of confusion and wrong information about climate change. This makes it harder for the public to understand this complicated issue. It also makes it harder for them to take action. It also underscores the importance for ongoing and improved climate education.

The USDA Climate Hubs Tackle Climate Change Region by Region

The USDA Climate Hubs, including the Northeast Climate Hub, dedicate themselves to providing regional science-based information and technologies to help with these challenges. Their goal is to assist agricultural and natural resource managers with climate-aware decision-making. The Hubs offer science, tools, and outreach to support climate adaptation and mitigation on working lands in the U.S. The Northeast Climate Hub is proud to be part of this work!

¹ _{NOAA NATIONAL CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION, Climate Change: Global Temperature | NOAA Climate.gov}
² _{NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Global Monitoring Laboratory - Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases (noaa.gov)}

Report Citations

Jay, A.K., A.R. Crimmins, C.W. Avery, T.A. Dahl, R.S. Dodder, B.D. Hamlington, et al. 2023: Ch. 1. Overview: Understanding risks, impacts, and responses. In: Fifth National Climate Assessment. Crimmins, A.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock, Eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH1

IPCC, 2023: Sections. In: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 35-115, doi: 10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647

T. M. Lenton, D.I. Armstrong McKay, S. Loriani, J.F. Abrams, S.J. Lade, J.F. Donges, et al. (eds). 2023: The Global Tipping Points Report 2023. University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.

Friedlingstein, P., O'Sullivan, M., Jones, M. W., Andrew, R. M., Bakker, D. C. E., Hauck, J., et al. Global Carbon Budget 2023, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 5301–5369, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5301-2023, 2023.