New Report Reveals The Severe Economic Impacts Climate Change Will Have In The South
New Report Reveals The Severe Economic Impacts Climate Change Will Have In The South
by Katie Valentine at Think Progress
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/28/3684751/risky-business-southeast-report/
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While the Southeast and Texas are generally accustomed to heat and humidity, the scale of increased heat along with other impacts such as sea level rise and storm surge will likely cause significant and widespread economic harm, especially to a region so heavily invested in physical manufacturing, agriculture and energy infrastructure, the report reads. If we continue on our current greenhouse gas emissions pathway, the southeastern United States and Texas will likely experience significant drops in agricultural yield and labor productivity, along with increased sea level rise, higher energy demand, and rising mortality rates.
According to the report, by the end of this century, the Southeast and Texas could see 14 times as many days over 95°F each year. Some regions, the report states, could see as many as 124 of these extremely hot days a year. And changes could come sooner than the end of the century for some states: by around 2050, Mississippi is expected to see 33 to 85 extremely hot days each year. These temperatures will drive up electricity demand, and that increased demand could see an increase in energy costs of 4 to 12 percent by mid-century.
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Rising temperatures will also likely put the Southeasts agriculture industry in danger. Without significant adaptation from farmers, corn yields are likely to decline by as much as 21 percent and soybean yields by as much as 14 percent over the next five to 25 years. By the end of the century, corn yields could decline by as much as 86 percent and soybeans by as much as 76 percent.
States could also see a rise in heat-related deaths. Florida could see as many as 1,840 more deaths a year and Texas could see as many as 2,580 deaths per year due to heat over the next five to 25 years. And by around 2050, these two states could see as many as 10,000 more deaths a year, all due to extreme heat. This increase in deaths due to climate change has been predicted by other studies as well: one study last year found that the number of heat-related deaths in the United Kingdom would rise by 257 percent by 2050.
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