Scientists and other experts were preparing a first-of-its-kind assessment of the health of nature in the United States when President Trump returned to the White House. He canceled the report. The researchers went ahead and compiled it on their own. This week, they released a 868-page draft for public comment and scientific review. Many of the preliminary findings are grim: Freshwater ecosystems across the country are in crisis, “overdrawn, polluted, fragmented and invaded.” Marine and terrestrial ecosystems are degraded, with reduced biodiversity. An estimated 34 percent of plant species and 40 percent of animal species are at risk of extinction.

Other nature and climate report news:

• NPJ Clean Water: Call for the mainstreaming of eutrophication in global water assessments and policies​
• Science News: Hundreds of studies have missed how much the oceans are rising
• Nature: Sea level much higher than assumed in most coastal hazard assessments​