U.S. Cities Dithering on Climate Change Impacts

MIT study says that while many U.S. cities are taking action to prepare for climate change impacts, their efforts as a whole still lag compared to communities located elsewhere in the world.

While cities around the world are reporting more and more impacts from climate change, a new study suggests those in the United States are less prepared for what lies ahead than their international counterparts.

According to researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in partnership with the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA, 74 percent of U.S. cities have perceived changes in the climate.

These include increased storm intensity, higher temperatures and more precipitation.

The researchers also found that U.S. cities were the least active in assessing their vulnerabilities and risks from the changing climate, while those in Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada were the most aggressive in planning for it.

Many climate experts blame an orchestrated campaign of misinformation by the energy industry for a lack of resolve among politicians to cope with climate change, or to even acknowledge that it exists.

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