WASHINGTON, D.C. — Climate change is already dramatically impacting the world’s oceans and snowy landscapes that people and wildlife alike rely upon, according to a new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report’s findings only bolster the demand that Congress take bold action to reduce carbon emissions, end the Trump Administration’s “energy dominance” strategy, and improve management of our coasts and fisheries.

“This report is the latest wake-up call from the world’s leading scientists telling us that we’re on thin ice and running out of time to act on climate change,” said Bruce Stein, chief scientist for the National Wildlife Federation. “Climate-driven changes to our oceans are increasing flooding in coastal communities, disrupting economically important fisheries, and killing our dwindling coral reefs. Climate change is also dramatically altering our winter landscapes, with depleted snowpack imperiling water supplies and outdoor economies, and jeopardizing snow and ice-dependent wildlife. In Alaska, melting permafrost is undermining buildings and other critical infrastructure, and threatens to set off even more extreme warming.

“We need to urgently reduce carbon emissions to protect our oceans, glaciers, and snowpack — or we will risk permanently losing them and the wildlife they sustain.”