Climate change having impact across U.S.

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A congressional study found climate change is affecting the United States on several fronts, including health and agriculture, at a faster rate than expected.

The Third National Climate Assessment found that climate change, driven by human activity, is increasingly impacting infrastructure, water supplies, crops and shorelines, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

"Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present," the report stated. "Americans are noticing changes all around them. Summers are longer and hotter, and periods of extreme heat last longer than any living American has ever experienced. Winters are generally shorter and warmer."

The report, which is issued every four years by a federal advisory committee, was written by 240 scientists, business leaders and other experts.

"The findings in the report are a three-alarm fire," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif. "Climate change is already causing widespread disruption across the nation. We are in deep trouble if we don't act forcefully this year."