Southern states, like Florida, expected to take the brunt of the (economic) heat from climate change

US could face damages of 0.7 percent of GDP per year

Flooding in Brickell
Flooding in Brickell

A new study shows the chilling economic impact of climate change in the years to come, with southern states like Florida and Texas feeling the most intense burn.

A map published in the New York Times shows the potential losses from 2080 to 2099, which would range between 10 to 15 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, to South Florida.

For every 1 degree Fahrenheit rise in global temperature, researchers predict the U.S. will lose 0.7 percent of GDP – with global warming hitting southeastern and midwestern states harder than northeastern and western states.

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“The reason for that is fairly well understood: A rise in temperatures is a lot more damaging if you’re living in a place that’s already hot,” Solomon Hsiang, a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a lead author of the study, told the newspaper.

In South Florida, experts have sounded warnings to residents of coastal cities about the losses tied to the rising seas. Miami Beach is leading the charge on dealing with global warming by installing salt water pumps, raising roads and adopting new construction standards.

On the contrary, states like Maine and Michigan could enjoy milder winters, the Times reported. [NYT] – Katherine Kallergis