White “bathtub rings” show the pre-drought water level of Lake Powell, Arizona

It's often said that the poor will feel the consequences of global warming the hardest. It's a very legitimate observation, with implications for millions of the world's most vulnerable, but one that may easily get ignored by polluting western societies who are easily distracted by sitcom reruns, celebrity gossip, and the 2008 presidential race.

However, a recent report by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) may help knock a few more people out of their apathy.

The NRDC just completed an analysis of temperature figures for the world and the United States -- concluding and calling attention to the fact that the western half of the continental United States is heating up 70% faster than the world as a whole. A continuation of this trend will exacerbate the already tenuous position of many cities in regards to water availability -- cities keep growing as glaciers, snow lines and water supplies are steadily shrinking away -- as well as longer and more intense droughts, bringing repetitions of the kind of wildfires we witnessed in California a few months ago. The report also outlines numerous large economic losses that have already been felt across the region, as well as serious implications for wildlife.

Some of the effects already felt:

Deadly Heat Waves: In California, a heat wave in July 2006 led to an initial official count of at least 143 deaths—a total being reviewed by the state government following a press analysis that the real death toll may have been 466.

Diminishing Reserves: The volume of water in Lake Powell—a man-made Colorado River reservoir in Arizona—dropped by two-thirds between 2000 and 2005. This draining of the reservoir was more rapid and severe than thought possible. It is currently less than half full.

No Snow: On the date the snowpack at Snoqualmie Pass in Washington normally reaches its peak of 92 inches, in 2005 there was no measurable snow at all.

Charred Habitat: Destructive wildfires in northern Nevada in 2006 charred pronghorn antelope habitat and forced the relocation of half the regional herd.

Grizzly Bears at Risk: Warmer temperatures in Wyoming have allowed mountain pine beetles to invade high-elevations in the Yellowstone area, where they may eliminate whitebark pines, whose nuts are the most important food source for the area’s grizzlies.

Ruinous Wildfire: Colorado suffered the largest wildfire in its history in 2002. Nine firefighters died, nearly 1,000 structures were destroyed, 915,000 acres burned, and $1.7 billion were lost in tourism revenue.

Disastrous Drought: Drought hit Utah so hard in 2002 that every county in the state qualified for disaster relief. 2,600 Utahans lost their agricultural jobs and the dryland harvest shrank 30 percent.

Livestock Loss: New Mexico lost $279 million in income from livestock production due to the 2002 drought. In Montana, drought forced ranchers to cull 150,000 cattle from their herds in three years, bringing the state’s cattle population to a 40-year low in 2004.

Lost Revenue: Idaho was forced to cancel sage grouse hunting season after wildfires destroyed much of the bird’s habitat in 2007.

Dead Zone: An area of ocean waters with too little oxygen to support sea life off the Oregon coast, caused by changed weather patterns, has grown in four years to cover an area the size of Rhode Island. -- Climate Facts, Study Summary (PDF)

The full report (2.3mb PDF) makes for an interesting read -- ably demonstrating how further warming can quickly see the nation's ecosystems, and with it, the U.S. economy become unglued. Many of the results of this warming, like melting tundra, etc., bring their own feedbacks, sending the environment into a downward spiral that will become increasingly difficult to reverse if calls for concerted action are ignored. For example, warming temperatures have seen an explosion of Pine Beetles, which are decimating CO2 absorbing forests in Colorado, Canada and elsewhere. On this topic, take a deep breath, and read this:

Also in Canada, the mountain pine beetles have for the first time crossed from west to east over the Continental Divide, which used to be a limit on their range because of the cold temperatures of that backbone of the Rocky Mountains. This opens the possibility that the outbreak of mountain pine beetles in western Canada can cross the continent through the jack pine forests of central Canada and then down eastern North America into the pine forests of the southeastern United States. “There is a continental-scale event waiting to happen,” says one beetle expert. -- Full Report (2.3mb PDF)

The governor of Colorado believes the state's lodgepole pines could be completely gone in 3 -- 5 years. The potential spread of these beetles to the four corners of the U.S. could forever alter the country's topography and climate, with massive impacts on biodiversity and human habitability.

Closing ski resorts, failing harvests, destroyed fishing industries, forest fire destruction -- the report reads somewhat like an apocalyptic vision, but its describing out of the ordinary events that are already occurring, not fanciful predictions of things yet to come.

The good news is that people are beginning, at last, to one degree or another at least, to wake up to the true costs of inaction. Twenty one states (in total making up 41% of U.S. emissions) are now committed to mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions. A further six states (8% of U.S. emissions) are considering following suit. Eighteen states have either already implemented a cap on vehicle emissions, or are in the process of doing so.

In what form caps on emissions should take is a question under debate. The NRDC supports the Lieberman-Warner bill. Carbon trading is a topic we've written a lot about here on Celsias and you'll see various aspects of the pros and cons of its various forms more in the future. People examining this topic will benefit from the recent Comparing Climate Proposals: A Case Study in Cognitive Policy report, that makes clear comparisons between the Lieberman-Warner Bill and a potential alternative, Peter Barnes' Cap and Dividend approach. We welcome reader input on this important topic.

Some of the recommendations in the NRDC report are obvious in their usefulness, like increasing vehicle and building efficiency, etc., whereas, like carbon trading, others are more subjective -- like their endorsement of carbon sequestration and storage.

Hopefully the report will add momentum to the growing movement towards sustainability. Our futures, our lives, depend on it.