If you live in Texas or Louisiana, your community will be harder hit by climate change than cities in New Hampshire or Oregon. By the end of the century, if emissions continue unchecked, some parts of the U.S. will see far greater economic damage from climate than others–and because the communities that will be affected most tend to be poorer, the shift will also widen income inequality.
A new map shows the projected county-by-county damages for the last two decades of the century, with the counties facing the heaviest burden shown in dark red. Those in green are likely to see some economic benefit, though as temperatures continue to warm, those benefits may be temporary. The impacts are highest in the South, where temperatures are already hotter.
The new analysis could be used in two key ways:
First, to help people better understand the consequences of decisions made on climate policy now, and second, to begin to better prepare for local impacts. In a 2016 survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, most Americans agreed that global warming was happening, but few thought it would harm them personally. Opinions on whether it would ever harm people in the U.S. were mixed, particularly in some of the counties that will be most affected. (It’s worth noting that climate change has already been linked to impacts in the U.S., and though the map shown here focuses on the end of the century, more damage will occur earlier).
The new analysis could be used in two key ways:
First, to help people better understand the consequences of decisions made on climate policy now, and second, to begin to better prepare for local impacts. In a 2016 survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, most Americans agreed that global warming was happening, but few thought it would harm them personally. Opinions on whether it would ever harm people in the U.S. were mixed, particularly in some of the counties that will be most affected. (It’s worth noting that climate change has already been linked to impacts in the U.S., and though the map shown here focuses on the end of the century, more damage will occur earlier).
