White House Hosts Climate Change Roundtable: How to Watch Online

A cityscape, showing the impact of climate change — Climate change is already happening, scientists say. (Image credit: Climate change image via Shutterstock)

The White House is teaming up with the Weather Channel today (May 8) to host a discussion about the current state of climate science, and to examine the results of a sweeping new report on the regional effects of global warming.

Weather experts and White House officials will participate in a live Google+ Hangout today at 2 p.m. EDT, and you can watch the webcast on Live Science.

Participants in today's discussion will include: Carl Parker, a hurricane specialist at the Weather Channel; Kathy Sullivan, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Dan Utech, from the White House Domestic Policy Council; Mike Boots, from the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Laura Petes, from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The roundtable is designed to examine efforts to fight climate change and reduce harmful emissions of carbon dioxide. The participants will also discuss the findings of a new report on the impacts of climate change in the United States.

The Third U.S. National Climate Assessment was released earlier this week, and details the regional effects of global warming and the potential impacts of climate change on the national economy. The comprehensive report found that all parts of the country are being affected by human-caused climate change, with some regions experiencing more intense heat waves, while others are suffering through torrential rainfalls or more extreme wildfires.

The newly released National Climate Assessment (NCA) is part of President Obama's ambitious Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and prepare communities to withstand the effects of a warming planet. The bold initiative launched last June.

More than 300 scientists contributed to the latest National Climate Assessment, and the report was reviewed by federal agencies and the public before it was released.

Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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Denise Chow was the assistant managing editor at Live Science before moving to NBC News as a science reporter, where she focuses on general science and climate change. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, writing about rocket launches and covering NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.