Schools, homes and nuclear reactors in parts of Florida are all in jeopardy due to global warming, according to a study conducted by the Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE) at Tufts.
Written by Drs. Elizabeth Stanton and Frank Ackerman, the study, entitled "Florida and Climate Change: The Costs of Inaction," projects $345 billion worth of damages per year by the year 2100 should nothing be done to turn back the effects of global warming.
The authors expect sea levels to rise about 27 inches by the 2060s, flooding a region known as the vulnerable zone. This zone includes many coastal areas of Florida, including the majority of the Everglades, portions of Miami and Jacksonville, Cape Canaveral and the entirety of the Keys.
According to the study, 1,025 places of worship, 334 public schools, 74 airports, 3,401 hazardous material cleanup sites and two nuclear reactors could be among the casualties.
The advocacy group Environmental Defense funded the research, and Jerry Karnas, the group's Florida climate project director, said the focus on that state is appropriate.
"Florida is a critical state in terms of building momentum and support for national climate policy," he said.
Ackerman agreed. "Florida is one of the states most affected by climate change," he said.
Though the study was released only a few weeks ago, it has already had an effect on environmental policy in the Sunshine State. Ackerman made a trip there to brief Florida Governor Charlie Crist, the state's legislature and several environmental agencies on what the study predicts.
The Tufts statistics were released just a week after the Florida Chamber of Commerce unveiled a study of its own that explained the financial impacts of climate change. The GDAE study has even steeper projections about economic losses.
Still, the Tufts researchers admit that there are no guarantees. "There [is] a lot of uncertainty in climate change," Ackerman said. "[But] these seem like reasonable forecasts."
Florida's economy, infrastructure, ecosystem and weather will take the strongest hit from climate change, but the state will also feel other impacts.
"Some [of the damage can] go beyond the four areas we can put a price to," Ackerman said.
Moving forward, Environmental Defense wants to use the GDAE study to push for state and national cap-and-trade legislation. Specifically, Karnas hopes the research will shine light on the flaws of inaction.
"This study's main thrust was [that] we have the ability to choose our destiny," he said. "No matter which direction we choose, the status quo is not [a good] option."
