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What the Fifth National Climate Assessment Means for California's Land Managers

The Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), released November 14, 2023, is a comprehensive analysis of the current and future effects of climate change on the United States, its ecosystems, agricultural production, natural resources, and residents. The report, a four-year collaboration between 14 federal agencies and nearly 500 authors, spans 17 topics and 10 regions. Additionally, chapters on physical science provide scientific context for the report and chapters on adaptation and mitigation analyze how to best improve our responses to climate change.

While the full report contains an impressive level of detail, this summary is meant to provide a tailored view of five chapters with immediate relevance to our stakeholders managing California’s natural and working lands.



As part of the release of NCA5, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the federal program responsible for developing and distributing the assessment, hosted a series of webinars where chapter authors presented their findings and answered audience questions. Linked below are the recordings of webinars for relevant chapters: