The most comprehensive climate science report in the world was released last Friday, and not surprisingly, it is filled with omens and portents dire.
The National Climate Assessment, an 18-month process involving 51 scientists and 13 federal agencies, found that human influence is the "dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century," and that only a significant reduction in emissions will curtail rising temperatures.
That isn't a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention, but to understand the report's nuances, we turned to a world-class climate scientist.
Robert Kopp, the climate policy scholar at Rutgers' Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences and the director at the Institute of Earth, Ocean and & Atmospheric Studies, has done groundbreaking research on the impact of intensified coastal flooding. His comments below were edited for brevity.
Q. Let's start with the parochial: What does the report say about New Jersey, long considered a sea-level hot spot?
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