The exhaustive governmental climate change report of 1,600 pages that was issued on Black Friday is daunting for the average person to get his or her arms around, but, to my way of thinking, it is definitive proof, even for the most skeptical, that this is life-changing and life-threatening.

There are compelling graphics that show that the world, including the United States, is getting warmer. This is setting off more intense climatic events, including intense rainfall that is causing more flooding, more numerous tornadoes, more destructive hurricanes and more catastrophic wildfires, like the ones we just saw in California.

One needs to look no further than 2017 when consecutive hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria decimated parts of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, and this year when Florence and Michael caused death and destruction in the Carolinas and other parts of the eastern United States.

In 2017, there were 16 separate billion-dollar or more climate events. The damage last year topped $300 billion. On top of that, these extreme weather events have long-lasting, sometimes permanent consequences. Just ask the residents of Puerto Rico or the survivors of the recent wildfires in California. While floods, tornadoes and wildfires can be really impactful, hurricanes cause the most damage. According to USA Today, they caused $862 billion in damages from 1980. The cost of an average hurricane is $21.6 billion. Half of the costliest hurricanes have occurred so far during the 21st century, with records going back to the 19th century.

One of them was Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the New Jersey coast and parts of New York City in 2012. In addition to 233 deaths in the eight countries it affected, damage from Sandy topped $70 billion and brought the New York City subway system to a virtual standstill. When Sandy came ashore, its winds were 100 mph, creating a record-breaking storm surge. As devastating as Sandy was, it sits in third place behind number 2 Harvey at $125 billion and Katrina in 2005 at $160 billion.

Now, for our region. There has been so much talk about the weather — day-after-day of gloom, torrential downpours which brought flooding several times during the year to all five Times News counties. Schuylkill was especially hard-hit and took a double blow in August when the National Weather Service measured more than 13 inches of rain in parts of the county, or 8½ inches more than the average amount for the month.

Among the areas affected were Port Carbon, Tremont, Pottsville, St. Clair, Frackville, Gilberton and surrounding areas. Scores of homeowners are still dealing with the aftermath of these torrential downpours and subsequent flooding.

For the first 11 months of this year, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, has measured 60.7 inches of rain, 19 inches above normal for our region.

On top of that, the average temperature for the same period was 55.3 degrees, or 2.5 degrees above normal. Just about every year this century has delivered above-average precipitation and higher than normal temperatures.

In 2017, for example, rainfall was 51 inches or nearly five inches above normal, while the temperature averaged 54 degrees, or 2.85 degrees above average.

The National Climate Assessment is required by a law established in 1990. As many others, I was surprised the report was issued on Black Friday, one of the slowest news days of the year. If the move by the White House was intentional, it backfired, because the report has gotten worldwide scrutiny from the news media, activist groups and other who are attempting to convince a sometimes skeptical public that climate change is a clear and present danger, not only to us but to our children and grandchildren.

Very frustrating are the unequivocal conclusions of the report vs. the naysaying comment by President Trump that he “didn’t believe it.” The president has called climate change a “hoax” more than once and contends that the causes of global warming are not necessarily man-made. I find it difficult to square how a lay person can so cavalierly dismiss a report of this depth and scope that has drawn on input from 13 federal agencies, including experts in NASA and the Defense Department, and the contributions of 300 scientists.

The bottom line conclusions of the report say that if we, as responsible caretakers of our planet, do not act, we will suffer more deaths and destruction from more major climate events, more diseases, famine and other health hazards and catastrophic economic losses.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com