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Summary for Decision Makers 19Figure 1.11 Extensive federal lands in the Southwest: A legacy for the future. This mapillustrates the legacy of federal land ownership in the Southwest, covering nearly 30 percent of theentire United States. Protected habitat and ecosystem services ensure sustainable managementof resources and may be the greatest insurance policy against losses in the future, because naturalresource use and biological species can more easily adapt to rapidly changing climatic conditions.Modified from The National Atlas of the United States of America (http://www.nationalatlas.gov; seealso http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/fedlands/fedlands3.pdf; accessed October 8, 2012).[Chapter 18]1.6 Key UnknownsAlthough there has been a substantial increase in the understanding of how Southwestclimate is changing and will change and how this change will affect the human andnatural systems of the region, much remains to be learned. The full report, Assessmentof Climate Change in the Southwest United States, identifies many key unknowns, and assessesthe data, monitoring, modeling, and other types of research needed to increaseknowledge [Chapters 19 and 20]. Yet, current knowledge and experience is sufficient tosupport climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, such as reducing greenhousegas emissions or adapting to the changes that cannot be avoided, minimized, or mitigated.Many of these potential actions represent “no-regrets” options that are alreadyeither cost-effective in the immediate or short-term. [Chapter 18]ReferencesCook, E. R., C. Woodhouse, C. M. Eakin, D. M. Meko, and D. W. Stahle. 2004. Long-term ariditychanges in the western United States. Science 306:1015–1018.Mearns, L. O., W. Gutowski, R. Jones, R. Leung, S. McGinnis, A. Nunes, and Y. Qian. 2009. Aregional climate change assessment program for North America. Eos Transactions AGU90:311.