>>> WE HAVE ENDED THE WAR ON

AMERICAN ENERGY, AND WE HAVE

ENDED THE WAR ON BEAUTIFUL,

CLEAN COAL.

[ APPLAUSE ]

>> GOOD EVENING.

AND WELCOME TO "METROFOCUS."

I'M JENNA FLANAGAN.

OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, WHILE

WE ALL PAID ATTENTION TO TURKEY,

OUR FAMILY, FOOTBALL, AND BLACK

FRIDAY SALES, AN OMINOUS AND

DIRE GOVERNMENT REPORT ISSUED BY

THE U.S. GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH

GROUP CAME WITH A BLAZING

HEADLINES THAT ALMOST GOT LOST

IN OUR HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES, AND

IT'S ONE WE CAN'T AFFORD TO

IGNORE.

ISSUED BY A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS

WHO REPRESENT 13 FEDERAL

AGENCIES, THEY HAVE ALL COME TO

THE SAME CONCLUSION -- CLIMATE

CHANGE WILL SHRINK THE U.S.

ECONOMY BY AT LEAST 10%, AND

WILL KILL THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS

IN ABOUT 80 YEARS.

THAT MAY NOT BE IN OUR LIFETIME,

BUT IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN AND

GRANDCHILDREN, THIS WILL BE

THEIR REALITY.

THE FINDINGS DELIVERED ON A

TYPICALLY SLOW POST THANKSGIVING

NEWS DAY FLY CONTRARY TO

PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYING CLIMATE

CHANGE IS A HOAX.

BUT JUST 24 HOURS BEFORE THE

REPORT WAS RELEASED BY HIS OWN

ADMINISTRATION, THE PRESIDENT,

REACTING TO COLD TEMPERATURES

THAT HIT THE NORTHEAST TWEETED,

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL

WARMING?

THIS BREAKING NEWS IS PART OF

OUR PERIL AND PROMISE INITIATIVE

HERE ON PBS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

AND ITS DEVASTATING EFFECTS.

FOR MORE INSIGHT INTO THE

GOVERNMENT'S REPORT AND WHAT

THIS MEANS FOR ALL OF US IN THE

TRISTATE AREA IS A FREQUENT

GUEST HERE ON "METROFOCUS."

AND THE NEW YORK EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR OF THE NATURE

CONSERVANCY.

BILL, WELCOME BACK.

>> THANKS, JENNA.

IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT TOPIC,

SO GLAD TO BE HERE.

>> A VERY UNFORTUNATE TOPIC, BUT

THIS TEAMS LIKE IT COULD BE NEWS

BUT IT'S NOT.

WE'RE ALREADY FEELING THE

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WHILE THE REPORT IS FOCUSED ON

THESE LONG-TERM IMPACTS, AND

REALLY WHAT THEY DID WAS, THE

LAST REPORT, VOLUME ONE, TALKED

ABOUT THE HARD SCIENCE.

THIS IS ABOUT THE ECONOMIC

HARDSHIPS TO THE UNITED STATES.

IN 80 YEARS, IT WILL BE

CATASTROPHIC.

BUT WE'RE SEEING SO MANY OF THIS

ALREADY WITH A DEGREE OF WARMING

IN THE PAST CENTURY.

SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW

AND CAN WE FORESTALL SOME OF

THESE BIG, BIG ECONOMIC EFFECTS?

>> THE REPORT IS A LOT TO ABSORB

FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON, EVEN FOR

MYSELF.

WITH CHANGES TO THINGS LIKE

CROPS AND FLOODING, ET CETERA,

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR, LOOKING

AT FOR NEW YORK?

>> WELL, EXACTLY.

THIS IS NATIONAL IN SCOPE.

NEW YORK, THE BIGGEST EFFECTS

WE'RE GOING TO SEE HERE ARE SEA

LEVEL RISE, WHICH NOT

NECESSARILY STORMS, JUST FULL

MOON, HIGH TIDES, AND THE

IMPACTS THEY'LL HAVE.

STORM SURGES, LIKE WHAT WE SAW

WITH HURRICANE SANDY.

THIRD WILL BE HEAT WAVES.

A LOT MORE OF THEM, A LOT WORSE.

AND THEN FOURTH IS JUST BIG

RAINFALL EVENTS, LIKE WHAT WE

EXPERIENCED UPSTATE WITH

HURRICANE IRENE, JUST BEFORE

SANDY.

THESE ARE ALL GOING TO PUT

MASSIVE STRESSES ON OUR

INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR ECONOMY, AND

OUR PEOPLE.

>> NOW, THIS REPORT CAME OUT

AFTER THANKSGIVING, SO PEOPLE

DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO DIGEST

IT OR ARGUE IT AT THE TABLE, BUT

FOR PEOPLE LIKE THE PRESIDENT

WHO SAY WELL, IT WAS COLD, WE

HAD A FREEZING COLD

THANKSGIVING, SO WHAT ARE WE

TALKING ABOUT?

HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THAT FITS

INTO THE CLIMATE CHANGE PICTURE.

>> THE TRENDS AND MODELS ARE ALL

CLEAR.

AND THINGS ARE HEATING UP AND

BEING AFFECTED BY THE DRYING OF

WESTERN FORESTS FASTER THAN SOME

OF THE MODELS PREDICTED.

OF COURSE, THERE'S GOING TO BE

VARIABILITY.

SO WE HAD THE INCREDIBLE COLD

PERIOD.

THEN JUST A FEW DAYS LATER IT

FELT LIKE SPRING HERE IN NEW

YORK CITY.

SO YOU GET THESE OSCILLATIONS,

THESE UP AND DOWNS.

THAT'S ALL NORMAL.

BUT THE TREND IS VERY CLEAR.

WE'VE SEEN A DEGREE CELSIUS OR

ALMOST TWO DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

WARMING IN THE LAST CENTURY.

THE CONCERN IS WE'LL GO TO TWO

MORE DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR EVEN

BEYOND IN THIS CENTURY.

THAT'S WHERE YOU GET THESE

IMPACTS OF $150 BILLION IN, YOU

KNOW, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTS AND

CROP LOSSES EACH -- I MEAN,

EVERY ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES

THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT NORTH OF

$100 BILLION A YEAR.

IT COULD GET -- THEY TALK ABOUT

10% OF THE U.S. GDP.

THE U.S. GDP IS $20 TRILLION.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $2 TRILLION

IN EFFECTS JUST IN THEITE AS A

RESULT -- JUST IN THE UNITED

STATES AS A RESULT OF CLIMATE

CHANGE.

>> HERE IN NEW YORK CITY, WE SAW

HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR SOME

TUNNELS TO COME BACK AFTER

HURRICANE SANDY.

NOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD A

CHANCE TO READ IT AND DIE SXWRES

T

-- DIGEST THIS REPORT, WHAT CAN

THE AVERAGE PERSON DO?

>> THREE IMPORTANT THINGS.

ONE IS RECOGNIZE THAT THE

OUTCOMES HERE ARE NOT

INEVITABLE.

SO THERE IS NO CLIFF WE'RE

DRIVING OFF AS A SOCIETY, AS A

COUNTRY, AS A WORLD.

EVERY CHOICE WE MAKE HAS THE

ABILITY TO DAMPEN THE AMOUNT OF

CARBON POLLUTION GOING INTO THE

ATMOSPHERE AND REDUCE THE

EFFECT.

ONE IS VOTE FOR ELECTED

OFFICIALS WHO UNDERSTAND CLIMATE

CHANGE AND ARE GOING TO TAKE

STEPS TO ADDRESS IT.

TWO IS WE NEED TO GET A PRICE ON

CARBON, REDUCE THE DEMAND FOR

CARBON EMITTING POLLUTANTS LIKE

FOSSIL FUELS AND PUSH THINGS

LIKE RENEWABLES AND THE ROLE OF

NATURE IN SEQUESTERING CARBON.

THREE IS, EVERY DECISION WE

MAKE, HOW WE GO TO WORK, WHETHER

WE RECYCLE OR COMPOST, ALL OF

THOSE THINGS, THOSE LITTLE

MICROSIGNALS WE SEND IN THE

SYSTEM MATTER.

LASTLY, OFFSET YOUR CARBON FOOT

PRINT.

AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR, I DO A

CALCULATION OF HOW MUCH CARBON

POLLUTION AND MY FAMILY AND I

EMITTED, AND WE INVEST IN TREE

PLANTING AS A WAY TO OFFSET

THAT.

SO IT'S AN EASY WAY TO DO IT.

IT FEELS GOOD AND HELPS ADDRESS

THIS BIG CHALLENGE.

>> PERHAPS A NEW BLACK FRIDAY

TRADITION INSTEAD OF JUST

SHOPPING.

BILL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US,

AND GIVING US SOME DEFINITELY

NEEDED UNDERSTANDING ON A VERY

DEVASTATING REPORT.

>> THANKS, JENNA.

>> THANK YOU.