Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print What if Washingtonians don't address climate change?

What if Washingtonians don't address climate change?

February 18, 2009

Report projects 'business-as-usual' would cost $3.8 billion annually -- led by health-care -- by 2020

If nothing is done to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Washington is likely to experience some $3.8 billion in associated annual costs -- including $1.3 billion in health related costs alone. That will translate to about 2 percent of median annual household income by 2020, according to a report produced for the University of Oregon's Climate Leadership Initiative's Program on Climate Economics by ECONorthwest.




If nothing is done to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Washington is likely to experience some $3.8 billion in associated annual costs -- including $1.3 billion in health related costs alone, according to a report produced for the University of Oregon's Climate Leadership Initiative's Program on Climate Economics by ECONorthwest.

In addition, the report warns, "continuing with the activities that contribute to climate change potentially could cost Washingtonians almost $1.4 billion per year in missed opportunities to implement energy-efficiency programs and about $19 million per year in health-care costs from burning coal." Combined total costs, under a "business-as-usual" approach to climate change would jump four-fold to $12.9 billion, by 2080.

The UO's Program on Climate Economics is guided by a steering committee of 19 academic and private economists from Washington and other western states. Committee members also produce some of the program's research. The report's lead author, Ernie Niemi, is a principal with ECONorthwest, a fellow with the UO's Climate Leadership Initiative (CLI) and a member of the steering committee. ECONorthwest was contracted to produce the assessment.

"Our research found that a failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would produce significant and continually rising costs for Washington households and businesses," said CLI Director Bob Doppelt, who managed the report. "There will be no business-as-usual economy in Washington under a business-as-usual approach to climate change."

"Based on our analysis, Washington's urban populations stand to be dramatically impacted as increases in temperatures lead to increased occurrence of low-altitude ozone and other effects that will have a negative impact on human health," Niemi said. "These impacts under a business-as-usual approach to climate change will be seen as increases in illness, lost productivity and increases in premature deaths."

Health-care-related factors make up 32 percent of projected overall costs in 2020, 37 percent in 2040 and 36.5 percent in 2080.

The $3.8 billion price tag for 2020, which researchers say is a purposely conservative understatement, is based on 19 potential costs in nine categories for which researchers had sufficient data to draw conclusions. Researchers also listed another 21 significant environmental consequence for which they had insufficient information to include in the report.

Per-household annual costs -- $1,250 for 2020, $1,800 for 2040 and $2,750 for 2080 -- are based on projected population growth and were computed as a means to spell out the cost of inaction on a personal level, not as a recommendation of actual cost-sharing.

The report assumes that Washington, like many other states and countries, will not pursue "effective actions to rein in emissions of greenhouse gases, logging of native forests, and other factors that drive climate change."

"The probable costs of climate change are substantial, but the potential for catastrophic impacts resulting from greater climate sensitivity can't be ruled out," said Peter Dorman, a member of the steering committee of CLI's Program on Economics and economist and faculty member at Evergreen State College. "In a way, reducing our carbon emissions is like buying insurance: It makes sense to absorb a small cost in order to reduce the chance of a disaster."

"The costs identified in the report illustrate the types of costs Washingtonians will face from uncontrolled climate change," said Hart Hodges, another member of the Program on Economics steering committee and professor of economics at Western Washington University. "The report demonstrates that there's a real chance we'll face very difficult impacts if we do not act now."

"These costs cannot be prevented by Washingtonians acting alone," said Katie Baird, another program steering-committee member and professor of economics at the University of Washington, Tacoma. "However, what this study does is provide Washingtonians with a detailed and sober analysis of the likely impact a business-as-usual mentality will produce."

Based on recent analysis, major climatic changes for Washington would include increases in temperatures, more extreme events such as severe storms, droughts and heat waves, decreases in snowfall and increases in rainfall and habitat losses for a variety of species along with a rise in undesired species and related diseases. The UO report also considers "the costs households and businesses would incur by continuing with technologies and behaviors that inefficiently use energy, even though more efficient alternatives are available at little or no cost."

Projected total annual costs of business as usual in Washington for 2020 ($3.8 billion), 2040 ($6.5 billion) and 2080 ($12.9 billion) are based on:

* Increased energy-related costs: $222 million (2020); $623 million (2040); and $1.5 million (2080)
* Reduced salmon populations: $531 million; $1.4 billion; and $3 billion
* Reduced food production (primarily in the Yakima Basin): $35 million; $64 million; and $364 million
* Increased health-related costs: $1.3 billion; $2.2 billion; and $4.4 billion
* Lost recreation opportunities: $75 million; $210 million; and $612 million
* Increased wild-land fire costs: $102 million; $208 million; and $462 million
* Increased coastal and storm damages: $72 million; $150 million; and $352 million
* Inefficient consumption of energy: $1.4 billion; $1.6 billion; and $2.2 billion
* Increased health costs from coal-fired emissions: $19 million; $23 million; and $31 million

Complete sources for data collection and analyses are detailed in the report, which is available directly from the UO's Media Relations Web site (link below) and at CLI's Program on Economics Web site (http://climlead.uoregon.edu/programs/climate_economics.html).

In addition to Washington, separate reports were issued for Oregon and New Mexico. The reports were prepared by Niemi, Mark Buckley, Cleo Neculae and Sarah Reich, all of ECONorthwest, with assistance from members of the UO Steering Committee on Climate Economics.

University of Oregon



Related Greenhouse Gas Current Events and Greenhouse Gas News Articles Greenhouse Gas Current Events and Greenhouse Gas News RSS Greenhouse Gas Current Events and Greenhouse Gas News RSS
Peat fires drive temperatures up
Peatlands, especially those in tropical regions, sequester gigantic amounts of organic carbon. Human activities are now having a considerable impact on these wetlands.

Traditional indigenous fire management techniques deployed against climate change
A landmark Australian project that mitigates the extent and severity of natural savannah blazes by deploying traditional Indigenous fire management techniques is being hailed as a model with vast global potential in the fights against climate change and biodiversity loss, and for protecting Indigenous lands and culture.

Making sense of greenhouse gas accounting
Waste management is increasingly gaining the recognition that it deserves as a major contributor to mitigating climate change.

ORNL, Los Alamos pioneer new approach to assist scientists, farmers
Sustainable farming, initially adopted to preserve soil quality for future generations, may also play a role in maintaining a healthy climate, according to researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories.

TEEB report released on the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity for policy makers
Policy makers who factor the planet's multi-trillion dollar ecosystem services into their national and international investment strategies are likely to see far higher rates of return and stronger economic growth in the 21st century.

Record highs far outpace record lows across US
Spurred by a warming climate, daily record high temperatures occurred twice as often as record lows over the last decade across the continental United States, new research shows.

UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.

Controversial new climate change results
New data show that the balance between the airborne and the absorbed fraction of carbon dioxide has stayed approximately constant since 1850, despite emissions of carbon dioxide having risen from about 2 billion tons a year in 1850 to 35 billion tons a year now.

Reducing greenhouse gases may not be enough to slow climate change
Because land use changes are responsible for 50 percent of warming in the US, policymakers need to address the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers Hail Innovative Plan to Save Rainforest, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
An innovative proposal by the Ecuadorian government to protect an untouched, oil rich region of Amazon rainforest is a precedent-setting and potentially economically viable approach, says a team of environmental researchers from the University of Maryland, the World Resources Institute and Save America's Forests.
More Greenhouse Gas Current Events and Greenhouse Gas News Articles
The Corporate Greenhouse: Climate Change Policy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Corporate Greenhouse: Climate Change Policy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Yda Schreuder (Author)

This timely book addresses the political economy of climate change. The author questions the disconnect between the current nation-state based negotiation framework and the forces in the global economy that: are driven by neo-liberal policies, organized around transnational corporations or international production networks and, refute effective climate change policy. With the emergence on the world economic and carbon scene of China and India and several other developing economies, the debate on "who is to blame, and who is to pay" can no longer be ignored. Carefully researched and sourced from original work and case studies, The Corporate Greenhouse argues that failing to account in climate change treaties for the activities of transnational corporations will hinder solutions to...

  Energy Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Ministry Econ Dvlp/% H Dang



Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Mitigation: Science and Technology

Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Mitigation: Science and Technology
by Martin M. Halmann (Author), Meyer Steinberg (Author)

Any mention of the "greenhouse effect" tends to ignite controversy. While the rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases-especially carbon dioxide- are certainly among the most pressing issues today, theoretical and perceived consequences have been subject to conjecture and misinformation.That raging debate has obscured an important fact: scientists and engineers are hard at work on methods to reduce CO2 emissions, and devise practical methods for their remediation.Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Mitigation: Science and Technologysheds light on the most recent advancements, documented by two of the world's leading researchers on CO2.Aware of the complexity and still-unknown factors behind climatic change, the authors consider the need to make CO2 mitigation viable for both...

Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas

Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas
by Sweetfilter

Greenhouse gases destroy our Earths Ecosystem. High levels of CO2 gas (carbon dioxide) are a major cause of Global Warming. Major contributors of greenhouse gases are fully vented landfills and septic systems. Sweetfilter Zeocarbon septic vent pipe filters remove odors and greenhouse gases for up to 5 years. Then they are recycled as an ornamental gardening, nitrogen rich, fertilizer. It takes up to one year for one tree to fix the CO2 in the equivalent of 3 litres of gas. Vent pipe filters can do the same thing in one day, every day, for up to 5 years.

The New Business Climate: A Guide to Lower Carbon Emissions and Better Business Performance

The New Business Climate: A Guide to Lower Carbon Emissions and Better Business Performance
by Rocky Mountain Institute

Using The New Business Climate as a guide, businesses can gain competitive advantage, manage risks, and increase profitability by choosing a proactive carbon emissions reduction strategy.

Aviation: The Limited Sky

Aviation: The Limited Sky
Also With: PBS (Producer)



GEN-2NG Natural Gas CO2 Generator

GEN-2NG Natural Gas CO2 Generator
by GEN-2

Gen-2 Natural Gas CO2 Generator with Electronic IgnitionCarbon Dioxide (CO2) is one of the easiest ways to accelerate plant growth. Plants grown with supplemental CO2 can produce up to 40% more flowers or fruit. A propane or natural gas CO2 generator is the most cost effective way to add CO2 to your environment. Many greenhouses use CO2 generators to boost CO2 levels safely and economically.C.A.P. has developed some of the safest and most reliable CO2 Generators. They are capable of producing between 3 and 26 cubic feet of CO2 per hour. C.A.P. manufactures 2 models, The GEN-1e and the GEN-2e. The GEN-1e is recommended for small to medium size areas up to 15 x 15. The GEN-2e is recommended for larger areas up to 30 x 30.Both the GEN-1e and the GEN-2e units feature a Pilotless Electronic...

Meat the Truth

Meat the Truth
Starring: Marianne Thieme
Directed By: Gertjan Zwanikken & Karen Soeters
Also With: Claudine Everaert & Monique van Dijk (Producer), Karen Soeters (Writer)

Meat the Truth is a high-profile documentary, presented by MP Marianne Thieme (leader of the Dutch party for the Animals), which forms an addendum to earlier films on climate change. Although such films have succeeded in drawing public attention to the issue of global warming, they have repeatedly ignored one of the most important causes of climate change: the intensive livestock production. Meat the Truth draws attention to this by demonstrating that livestock farming generates more greenhouse gas emissions worldwide than all cars, lorries, trains, boats and planes added together. The calculations used in the film derive from and have been validated by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN (FAO), the World Watch Institute, the Institute for Environmental Studies of the Free...

  Greenhouse Gas Protocol: The Ghg Protocol for Project Accounting
by World Business Council on Sustainable Development (Author), World Resources Institute (Author)

This report, released in December 2005, is a tool for determining the greenhouse gas emission reduction benefits of climate mitigation projects. The report provides specific principles, concepts, and methods for quantifying and reporting GHG reductions - i.e., the decreases in GHG emissions, or increases in removals and/or storage. It was produced using a collaborative process involving businesses, NGOs, governments, academics, and others.

  Soils and the Greenhouse Effect: The Present Status and Future Trends Concerning the Effect of Soils and Their Cover on the Fluxes of Greenhouse Gas
by A. F. Bouwman (Author)

The present book is the result of an international conference on "Soils and the Greenhouse Effect", 14-18 August 1989 in Wageningen, the Netherlands. It was organized by the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC) on behalf of the Netherlands ministry of housing, physical planning and environment (VROM) as a contribution to the IGBP-global change programme. The conference included soil scientists and researchers from many other fields. Its aim was to identify research gaps in the field of the geographic distribution of the world soils and land cover types (natural vegetation, cropland or grazing land) and trends in land use on the one hand, and of greenhouse gas fluxes, evapotranspiration and albedo, on the other hand. The conference resulted in a number of conclusions...

© 2009 BrightSurf.com