*new* 2000-2009, The Warmest Decade
The World Meteorological Organization has issued a press release that 2009 is "likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850."

*new* Climate Change and Health Vulnerabilities
Science Policy Director J. Drake Hamilton writes about the impact of global warming on human health in Minnesota Medicine, the journal of the Minnesota Medical Association.

Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States
For the first time in 10 years, a new report summarizing the science of climate change and its impacts on the United States today and in the future was released by the United States Global Change Research Program. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States focuses on climate change impacts in different regions of the U.S. and on various aspects of society and the economy such as energy, water, agriculture, and health. The report is written in plain language with the goal of better informing public and private decision making at all levels.

The report summarizes the significant Midwest regional climate impacts, including:

• During the summer, public health and quality of life especially in cities will be negatively affected by increasing heat waves, reduced air quality, insects, and waterborne diseases.
• Significant reductions in Great Lakes water levels projected under higher emissions scenarios will lead to economic impacts on shipping.
• The likely increase in precipitation, more heavy downpours and greater evaporation in summer, will lead to more periods of both floods and water shortages.
• While the longer growing season provides the potential for increased crop yields, increases in heat waves, floods, droughts, insects, and weeds will present increasing challenges to managing crops, livestock, and forests.
• Native species are very likely to face increasing threats from pests, diseases, and invasive species moving in from the south.
   

Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences
A new citizen’s guide compiled by an interagency group led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is now available to help Americans understand basic climate science, the importance of the peer review process, and how better understanding of the earth’s climate will help us make scientifically-sound policy decisions. NOAA’s simple 13-page  Climate Literacy guide is a first step toward understanding basic climate principles and how changing the climate affects life on earth.