Endangered Species Law & Policy

The southwestern United States faces a host of challenges as a result of climate change including strained water resources, greater prevalence of tree-killing pests, and potentially significant alterations of agricultural infrastructure. A hotter future is projected for the Southwest—a region stretching from the California coast to the plains of eastern Colorado and New Mexico—and future heat and changes in precipitation will present challenges for managing natural resources, water, infrastructure, and threats to human health. Climate change is already complicating efforts to conserve threatened and endangered species.

Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States, published by Island Press and available for order here, is a landmark study that addresses these issues. It focuses on current climate conditions in the region, the environment of the past, what is projected to change over the 21st century and how this will impact ecosystems, water resources, agricultural production, energy supply and delivery, transportation and human health. I contributed to the preparation of the assessment and co-authored chapter 18, which focuses on climate choices for a sustainable Southwest.

A consortium of researchers from the Southwest Climate Alliance coordinated the assessment; these scientists are affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment Program and the U.S. Department of the Interior Southwest Climate Science Center. The book blends the contributions of 120 experts in climate science, economics, ecology, engineering, geography, hydrology, law, planning, resource management and other disciplines. This book is one of ten regional technical inputs to the 2013 National Climate Assessment released in draft form earlier this year.

I am pleased to offer our readers a 25% discount when ordering the book through Island Press. Just use discount code 5NCA to get the discount off of this book or any other National Climate Assessment regional technical inputs.