Thirteen federal agencies warned of dire consequences if the country does not take steps to heed off the worst effects of climate change in a report last week.
The federal report projected that climate change could cost the U.S. economy more than $200 billion by year 2100 if steps are not taken to mitigate the effects of climate change.
On Thursday, a Mid-Missouri environmentalist will offer ways Mid-Missouri and the country can head off the worst effects of global warming if steps are taken now.
Carolyn Amparan, a founding member of the Columbia Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby, will offer ways to mitigate the effects of heat-related illnesses and food shortages from 7-9 p.m. in the Missouri River Regional Library art gallery. She said the illnesses and shortages could be caused by rising temperatures around the globe. Amparan said Mid-Missourians won't see the effects of mitigation efforts immediately, but by acting now, the region and country can head off the worst effects.
"I think it's something that communities in Missouri, it's not an urgent problem, but it's something that we need to be looking at for the next 40 to 60 to 80 years," Amparan said.
The 1,600-plus page federal climate assessment report projected deaths from heat-related illnesses will cost the U.S. economy $141 billion by the end of the century, impacts from sea level rises will cost $118 billion and damage to infrastructure will cost $32 billion, according to the New York Times. By 2100, up to a tenth of the country's gross domestic product could be slashed off the U.S. economy; more than double the losses caused by the Great Recession, according to the New York Times.
Farmers could bear some of the largest losses in the Midwest. The amount of warm-season days that occur are projected to increase more than in any other region of the U.S. through the end of the century, the report said.
As the amount of warm-weather days in the spring and fall increase, rising humidity and soil erosion will create favorable conditions for pests, pathogens and degraded stored grains, the report said. By 2050, these factors combined with projected increases in heavy rainfall and extreme temperatures will reduce yields to 1980 levels, the report said.
A handful of groups are starting to take small steps to head off the worst effects of climate change. About 60 million people live in eight Midwestern states, the report said. Coal-fired power plants supply about 56 percent of the electricity in the region.
Ameren Missouri offers several programs for customers seeking to use electricity generated from renewable sources. In October, Ameren announced a program that will allow business and residential customers to receive 100 percent of their power from a new 1-megawatt solar panel farm being built next to St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Ameren has a goal of cutting its carbon emissions by 80 percent, the utility said in October.
Jefferson City and Columbia are also trying to take small steps to reduce their carbon footprints. This spring, Columbia formed the Mayor's Task Force on Climate Action and Adaptation to study ways climate change may impact Mid-Missouri over the coming decades. Patricia Weisenfelder, a community relations specialist for Columbia, said the task force is still gathering information from the public and hopes to submit a report with recommendations to the Columbia City Council in June.
Jefferson City's Environmental Quality Commission is charged with reviewing issues or ordinances which may impact the city's environment. The city does not have a task force or commission focused exclusively on climate change, said Amy Schroeder, a community relations manager with Jefferson City.
Still, over the past year, the city has taken a few small steps to reduce its impact on the environment, she said. In March, the city began making rain barrels available for purchase to residents who wanted to collect rainwater for gardening or other uses. The Environmental Quality Commission also later started a bike-share program and is looking at ways it can add more green spaces.
Next year, the city hopes to buy five benches with solar panels that will also serve as charging stations for cellphones, she said.
Schroeder and Amparan said it can be hard to imagine the consequences of decades of continued climate change because Missouri sits far away from the coasts and deserts, which are seeing the first immediate impacts of climate change.
Still, Amparan stressed, people must remember the consequences of failing to take action.
"It's going to cost us more in the long-term if we don't take action," she said.