Sierra Club Statement on the Release of the National Climate Assessment

Today, a national committee of experts in agriculture, climate science, commerce, and disaster relief released its National Climate Assessment (NCA). The report is the nation's foremost comprehensive, peer-reviewed analysis of the impacts of climate disruption, showing us the effects of climate change in individual states and across the country.

In response, Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune issued the following statement:

Today's landmark report is a wake-up call that we simply cannot afford to sleep through yet again. American families are already paying the costs of the extreme weather and health risks fueled by the climate crisis. Now, the nation's most comprehensive study of climate threats shows the toll on our health, our communities, and our economy will only skyrocket across the country if we do not act.

We applaud the Obama Administration for listening to these alarm bells, and urge them to continue to take critical, common-sense steps, including the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants. We don't just have an obligation to future generations to take action now -- we will seize an enormous opportunity as we do. By leaving dirty fossil fuels in the ground and continuing the transition to clean energy solutions like wind and solar, we can create good American jobs and power homes and businesses nationwide without polluting our air, water, or climate.