Scientists Release Independent Climate Findings Series

Why it matters locally: Given Rhode Island's coastal geography and reliance on industries susceptible to climate change impacts, the release of independent climate findings can provide crucial data for state-level policy decisions and long-term planning, particularly concerning sea-level rise and extreme weather events.

WASHINGTON – A group of climate researchers and other scientists on Tuesday released the first part of a special collection of climate change findings. This publication aims to address what these researchers perceive as an information gap. More than a year ago, personnel changes occurred in the government's work on the National Climate Assessment. These changes affected hundreds of scientists contributing to the official assessment. Following these personnel changes, questions arose regarding the future process for compiling these comprehensive U.S. climate reports. Researchers involved in the new independent collection indicated their work seeks to provide additional climate information.