Study Shows Potential Impacts of Global Warming on White Mountains

The report can be accessed by clicking here.

“The White Mountains region is at risk of disruptive changes as a result of global warming,” said Dr. Janine Bloomfield, EDF scientist and author of the report. “These include the long-standing traditions of timber management, maple syrup-gathering, and fishing, as well as the more modern economies of skiing, foliage viewing, and other tourism and outdoor recreation activities. The economic importance of the White Mountains relies in large part on the persistence of historical climate patterns, which are poised to change substantially over the next century unless action is taken to slow global warming now.”

Climate models used by the IPCC, which draw on thousands of scientists worldwide to advise governments on the scientific consensus on climate change, project that the Earth will warm by two to six degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100 if emissions are not reduced. Evidence suggests that the shorter winters; longer, drier summers; and increased frequency of flooding, winter thaws, and summer droughts associated with global warming, would be expected to occur in the White Mountains as well. These climate changes could negatively affect the economies of skiing, foliage viewing, and other tourism and recreation industries in New England. The ski industry in New Hampshire, which plays a significant role in the state’s economy, totaling nearly $190 million in direct visitor spending during the 1995-96 ski season, is seriously threatened by continued warming. Also, suitable habitat for cold-water fish including rainbow, brook, and brown trout may be partially or completely eliminated from the White Mountains and other parts of New England if warming occurs as expected. In addition, projected warming could lead to large-scale declines in sugar maple and maple-syrup production. The timber industry could also be affected by the loss of important tree species due to changing climate.

“This report should serve as a wake up call to all of us that global warming is not a distant or remote threat. Under very plausible scenarios, global warming could rob future generations of the beauty and resources of the White Mountains, and we must take action now to prevent that from happening,” said Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.

“With governments meeting in December in Japan to strengthen the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, this study clarifies the scientific basis for action and ‘brings home’ the realities of global warming to policy makers in Washington as well as the citizens of New England,” said EDF chief scientist Dr. Michael Oppenheimer.