Report: Climate Change Threatens Economy and Agriculture in Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Emily Diamond-Falk, 202-572-3365, [email protected]
 
(Washington, DC – July 23, 2008) –A new report released today details the devastating effects climate change will have on Illinois’s economy and crop production. The study was produced by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) at the University of Maryland. Environmental Defense Fund helped to finance the research and production of the report.
 
The report found that climate change will have wide-spread consequences across Illinois, including:
 
·        Infrastructure. In 2007, Illinois suffered $272 million in insured catastrophic losses, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Those loses are likely to rise if climate change produces greater levels of precipitation. Lakefront and riverside properties are particularly vulnerable.
 
·        Agriculture. Climate change could cause Midwest agriculture sector profits to decrease by $9 billion annually should temperatures rise 4.5° F and precipitation increase 7%. 
 
·        Health. In 1995, the deadliest heat wave on record resulted in 753 deaths in Illinois. Scientists warn that climate change could bring warmer weather affecting urban cities, like Chicago, as temperatures in cities are typically 7°F higher than in rural areas.  
 
The study was part of the report State Economic and Environmental Costs of Climate Change, which examined the impacts of global warming on 12 states around the country. NCSL released the report today during an energy conference at the group’s Legislative Summit in New Orleans. In addition to Illinois, the report looked at how climate change will impact the economy and environment of Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

The overview of the project can be found at: http://www.ncsl.org/print/environ/ClimatechangeOver.pdf
The Illinois report can be found at: http://www.ncsl.org/print/environ/ClimatechangeIL.pdf
Individual states have already begun to address the issue of climate change: Six states enacted mandatory greenhouse gas reduction laws; 13 states have set voluntary targets; and 26 states have passed renewable energy portfolio standards.
 
“This report shows that climate change poses a great risk to the agriculture sector in Illinois,” said Sara Hopper, an attorney who specializes in farm policy at EDF.  “If Illinois crop production is disrupted, we could see far-reaching consequences throughout the state.”
 
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