EPA’s Global Change Explorer (GCX) is a collection of web-based tools that describe and visualize scenarios of future environmental change, provide access to underlying spatial data, and promote adaptation and resilience planning.
This training webinar will provide an overview of the GCX, then focus on the Locating and Selecting Scenarios Online (LASSO) tool, which was designed to provide fast, easy access to climate change information that informs a specific question or concern. Scientists or stakeholders seeking information on how climate might change are frequently bogged down with terminology and questions about climate models, emissions scenarios, time horizons, and geography. LASSO is a step-by-step interface to the latest climate projections, allowing users to identify and download a relevant subset of information.
In a matter of minutes, LASSO maps, figures, and spatial data can be downloaded for any of the contiguous United States. LASSO outputs can be used to answer questions such as:
* What are some best- and worst-case climate change scenarios for my state?
* Which states might be most affected by climate change?
* Are there states that might be more at risk for droughts or flooding in the future?
* Is there a potential climate benefit to your state if global greenhouse emissions follow a lower trajectory?
The LASSO tool targets users that already have some familiarity with the topic of climate change, as well as a need for quantitative information about predicted future changes. LASSO outputs satisfy a variety of needs, ranging from descriptive summary figures in a report or presentation to spatial data for use in a geographic information system (GIS).