SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's future looks warmer and drier, according to scientists.

"There are no statements anywhere in this report whether anything is good or bad," University of Utah climate scientist Jim Steenburgh told an advisory committee created by Gov. Jon Huntsman. Instead, the group looked at research that has been done on how Utah's climate might change.

Huntsman's climate council is working on priorities for reducing what some believe is Utah's influence on climate change. They are due later this month.

Steenburgh was among eight scientists from the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Utah State University.

"We're here simply to talk about climate science and what it may bring," he said.

Utah can expect its temperature to increase by about 8 degrees by 2100, the group said in a draft report released Tuesday.

"In Utah, the average temperature during the past decade was higher than observed during any comparable period of the past century and roughly 2 degrees higher than the 100-year average," the report said.

The state should expect less Colorado River water and lower lake levels unless precipitation increases, the group said.

The scientists said there is "very high confidence" that human activities are to blame for global warming of the past 50 years.

Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights, said he was impressed by the panel's balance and its unanimous conclusions.

"It ought to be considered objectively as part of our policy-making," he said of the report.

Huntsman's energy adviser, Dianne Nielson, called the report "objective and informative." She said it will help Utahns see they have a role in dealing with a worldwide problem.

"It's important we understand what the impacts and benefits are for Utah," Nielson said.

Randy Parker, chief executive of the Utah Farm Bureau, said the scientists have "impeccable credentials," but he also warned members of the governor's advisory committee to be cautious.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C2.