Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Sunday, December 27th, 2015

Montana Faces The Devastating Economic Costs Of Climate Inaction

Author:     Alejandro Davila Fragoso
Source:     Climate Progress
Publication Date:     Dec 22, 2015 8:00 am
 Link: Montana Faces The Devastating Economic Costs Of Climate Inaction
Stephan:   Beginning now, and from now on, how individual states respond to climate change is going to determine what life will be like for people living in those states in the coming years. Frankly, if I lived in a Red Value state, with a governor like Scott Walker, Sam Brownback, Bobby Jindal, or the new governor of Kentucky, particularly if I had young children, I would move. Within 10-15 years, maybe less, it is going to be very difficult to get your money out of property in those states. Especially if it is coastal. Here is the latest report on the inland state of Montana. It is not a happy story.
A Montana lake Credit: Matt Volz/AP

A Montana lake
Credit: Matt Volz/AP

Global warming could severely hamper the outdoor economy of the nature rich state of Montana, a new study by the state’s oldest conservation organization found. Thousands of jobs and about a billion dollars in earnings may be at jeopardy in the coming decades, the group found.

As many as 36,000 jobs and slightly over a billion dollars in labor earning could be lost in the next 35 years if greenhouse gas emissions don’t decline, according to the study commissioned by Montana Wildlife Federation. The study looked at the potential impact of a 5 degree Fahrenheit increase on a wide array of recreational activities, from sports fishing and hunting to skiing and state parks, but found the greatest potential for job loss in cattle raising and agriculture.

The economic effect of climate change is substantial but may not represent the total cost on the state’s quality of life, the study’s author said.

“We were really conservative in our estimates,” Thomas Power, professor emeritus in the economics department […]

Read the Full Article