A scientific report, the Climate Science Special Report (CSSR), from 13 federal agencies was released on Friday, saying that the climate of the U.S. is “strongly connected to the changing global climate.” The report was approved by the White House, but contradicts much of what the Trump Administration has said about climate change. Among other things, the report asserted that humans are the main cause of the rise in global temperatures that has created the warmest period in the history of civilization.

According to a summary of the report found on the CSSR website, “the annually averaged surface air temperature has increased by about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (one degree Celsius) over the last 115 years (1901-2016).” The summary also outlines that other aspects of the global climate are changing, including surface, atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, melting glaciers, diminishing snow cover, shrinking sea ice, rising sea levels, ocean acidification and increasing atmospheric water vapor. These results were compiled from thousands of studies done by researchers around the world.

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Extreme weather events in the U.S. were also noted in the report. Heavy rainfall has increased in both frequency and intensity, and heatwaves have occurred more frequently since the 1960s. The summary also stated, “Recent record-setting hot years are projected to become common in the near future for the United States, as annual average temperatures continue to rise.” Forest fires in the western U.S. and Alaska have also increased since the early 1980s and are expected to continue increasing. In general, the extreme weather events, many of which were seen during 2017, are expected to worsen.

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Global climate change is already affecting water resources worldwide, notably in the western U.S. The exploitation of water resources combined with the effects of climate change are increasing the possibility of “chronic, long-duration hydrological drought” before the end of this century.

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In August, a draft of the report was published by the New York Times. The story noted “scientists say they fear that the Trump administration could change or suppress the report.” Before launching his political campaign, Trump was a strong critic of climate change. This, combined with the appointment of Scott Pruitt, chief of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), puts the administration at odds with the CSSR report.

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“The magnitude of climate change beyond the next few decades will depend primarily on the amount of greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide) emitted globally,” said the report. If there is not a reduction in emissions, the increase in average global temperatures could reach nine degrees Fahrenheit. A significant reduction could limit the increase to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

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The impacts of global climate change are broad and far-reaching. Changes in global systems are already having social and economic impacts, particularly in developing nations that are close to or below sea level. Although emissions growth rates have decreased due to economic growth becoming less carbon-intensive, producing less carbon dioxide, the emissions rate is far from close to the desired level. At this point, the general consensus is that the more the Earth system is warmed, the greater the risk that unanticipated changes and impacts, some potentially large and irreversible, will occur.

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The report ends by saying that “it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence.” In order to mitigate the effects of global climate change, the consensus worldwide is that governmental and lifestyle changes are necessary in order to decrease the impact of warmer global temperatures, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and more.