Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States

The document details the risks posed by rising temperatures and sea-level rise in the Southeast US, highlighting threats to energy and transportation infrastructure, agricultural productivity, and native ecosystems.

• Average temperatures in the Southeast are projected to rise by approximately 4.5°F by the 2080s under a lower emissions scenario, and by about 9°F under a higher emissions scenario, with summer increases reaching about 10.5°F.
• Sea-level rise is expected to be up to 2 feet by the end of the century under high emissions, with relative sea-level rise in Louisiana and East Texas potentially reaching 2 to 4 feet by 2050 to 2100 due to combined global warming and local land sinking.
• Critical energy infrastructure in the Gulf Coast is highly vulnerable, as the region accounts for nearly 30% of US crude oil production and 20% of natural gas production, with one-third of national refining capacity located on adjacent coastal plains.
• Transportation infrastructure faces significant risk from sea-level rise; approximately 27% of major roads, 9% of rail lines, and 72% of ports are built on land at or below 4 feet in elevation.
• Agricultural productivity is threatened by the northward expansion of invasive weeds like kudzu, which has already invaded 2.5 million acres of the Southeast and carries soybean rust.
• Warming stream temperatures are projected to cause the disappearance of over half of the wild trout populations in the southern Appalachian Mountains, with habitat losses in North Carolina and Virginia reaching up to 90%.
• Ocean acidification and rising temperatures threaten coral reefs; in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 50% of corals in the National Park have died following 2005 bleaching and disease events.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2009). Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/us-global-climate-change-reportsoutheast.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. 2009. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/us-global-climate-change-reportsoutheast.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States |date=2009 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/us-global-climate-change-reportsoutheast.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2009global, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/us-global-climate-change-reportsoutheast.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }