Representative Concentration Pathway

Figure 1.21 provides an illustration of the type of economic information that is integrated throughout this report.

It shows the financial damages avoided under a lower scenario, RCP 4.5, versus a higher scenario, RCP 8.5. End of Section 3 Section 4 of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume 2, by USGCRP.

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Individuals, communities, public health departments, health-related organizations and facilities, and others are taking action to reduce health vulnerability to current climate change and to increase resilience to the risks projected in coming decades.

The health benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions could result in economic benefits of hundreds of billions of dollars each year by the end of the century.

Annual health impacts and health-related costs are projected to be approximately 50% lower under a lower scenario, RCP 4.5, compared to a higher scenario, RCP 8.5.

These estimates would be even larger if they included the benefits of health outcomes that are difficult to quantify, such as avoided mental health impacts or long-term physical health impacts.

It analyzes trends in climate change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends to the end of this century.

Projected changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and other climate outcomes are based on a range of scenarios widely used in the climate research community, referred to as Representative Concentration Pathways, RCPs.

As an assessment and analysis of the physical science, the CSSR provides important input to the development of other parts of NCA4 and their primary focus on the human welfare, societal, economic, and environmental elements of climate change.

A summary of the CSSR is provided in chapter two, Our Changing Climate, of this report.

Some projections are consistent with continued dependence on fossil fuels, while others are achieved by reducing GHG emissions.

The resulting range of projections reflects, in part, the uncertainty that comes with quantifying future human activities and their influence on climate.

The most recent set of climate projections developed by the international scientific community is classified under four representative concentration pathways, or RCPs.

A wide range of future socioeconomic assumptions could be consistent with the RCPs used throughout NCA4.

It analyzes trends in climate change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends to the end of this century.

Projected changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and other climate outcomes are based on a range of scenarios widely used in the climate research community, referred to as Representative Concentration Pathways, RCPs.

As an assessment and analysis of the physical science, the CSSR provides important input to the development of other parts of NCA4 and their primary focus on the human welfare, societal, economic, and environmental elements of climate change.

A summary of the CSSR is provided in Chapter Two, Our Changing Climate, of this report.

USGCRP scenario products help ensure consistency in underlying assumptions across the report and therefore improve the ability to compare and synthesize results across chapters.

Where possible, authors have used the range of these scenario products to frame uncertainty in future climate and associated effects as it relates to the risks that are the focus of their chapters.

As discussed briefly elsewhere in this front matter and in more detail in Appendix three, Data Tools and Scenario Products, future scenarios referred to as RCPs provide the global framing for NCA4 Volumes one and two.

RCPs focus on outputs such as emissions and concentrations of greenhouse gases and particulate matter that are in turn fed into climate models.

There's no feedback.

These models, like the RCPs, right?

RCP stands for representative concentration pathways.

These are climate models.