Download CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON GEORGIA

CLIMATECHANGEIMPACTSONGEORGIA
WHATISCLIMATECHANGE?
Theearth’sclimateischangingbecauseofexcesscarbon
dioxidepollutionintheatmosphere,generatedwhen
fossilfuelslikecoal,oil,andnaturalgasareburned.This
extracarbontrapsmoreheat,likeagreenhouse,which
explainswhy2000to2009wasthehottestdecadeever
recordedandtherehavebeenover365consecutive
monthswithhotter-than-averageglobaltemperatures.
Moderncivilizationdevelopedinastableclimateand
wehavebuiltoureconomyandwayoflifeaccordingly.
Changestoourclimatemeansthatwearefacing
emerginghardshipsandvulnerabilitiesastheimpacts
ofclimatechangeunfold.
Someimpactsfromclimatechange
includeextremestorms,flooding
fromsealevelrise,heatwaves,and
drought.Theseimpactshave
consequencesforpublichealth,
safety,theeconomy,the
environment,andourwayoflife.
Fortunately,wecanprotectagainst
theworstimpactsbylimitingcarbon
pollutionwithenergyefficiencyand
usingcleanrenewableenergy,like
solarandwind.
Extremeweatherevents,likethe“polarvortex”of
2014,arebecomingmorecommoninawarmer
climate.Theseeventshavealargetollintermsof
physicaldamage,lostproductivity,andpublic
health.
HOWWILLCLIMATECHANGEIMPACTGA?
Itisdifficulttolinkanyoneeventdirectlytoclimatechange,anditis
importanttorecognizethatmostclimatedataisregionalorevenglobalin
scope.However,decadesofexpertresearchandcenturiesofhistorical
recordscanbecomparedwithrecenttrendstoillustratehowclimate
changeisalreadyimpactingpartsoftheSoutheasternUnitedStates.These
impacts,combinedwithpossiblefutureimpacts,arebothcauseforconcern
andtheimperativeforaction.
• Extremeweather,includingseverestorms,heatwaves,coldsnaps,and
moreintensehurricanesareallbecomingmoretypicalinawarmer
world.Theseeventshavealargetollintermsofphysicaldamage,lost
productivity,higherinsurancecosts,andpublichealth.Forexample
the“polarvortex”snowfallof2014practicallyshutdownAtlantawith
roadgridlockwhilethousandsofchildrenhadtospendthenightat
schoolbecausetheirparentscouldn’treachthem.
• HeritagefoodsofGeorgiaaresufferingbecauseofcarbonpollutionand
climatechange.Heatanddroughtstressisexpectedtoincreasewith
globalwarming,similartowhatwehavewitnessedwithpeanut,
pasture/hay/beef,beans,andcornproductioninrecentyears,when149
ofGeorgia’s159countiesweredeclaredadisasterareaduetodroughtin
2007and22countiesagainin2011.Meanwhile,fruitandnutfarmersare
experiencingcroplossesfromunreliablewinterweatherandlate
springfreezes,whichareexpectedtobecomemorefrequent,suchasthe
2007“Easterfreeze,”whichwipedout70%ofthestate’sblueberrycrop
and20-50%ofthepeachcrop.
Overthelastdecade,GAcoal-firedpower
plantsproducedanaverageof77,400,000
tonsofcarbonpollutioneachyear.
• SomeofGeorgia’smosttreasuredplacesarefloodinganderoding
awaydueinparttosealevelrisefromclimatechange,projectedtobe
between8inchesand6.6feetthroughoutthiscenturyalone.Coastal
communitieslikehistoricSavannahandGeorgia’smanyislandsarein
jeopardy,alongwiththepastimestheyaffordandtheeconomicvalue
theygeneratethroughtourism.
IT’STIMEFORSOLUTIONS!
PROMOTECLEANENERGY
Cleanenergy,suchassolar,wind,andenergy
efficiency,producesnopollutionandprovides
jobstooureconomy.StudiesshowthattheUnited
Statescouldeasilygenerate80%ofitspower
fromcleansourcesby2050.Energyefficiencycan
dramaticallyreducetheamountofpowerweuse
inourhomesandbusinessesandlowerourbills.
InGeorgia,ouroffshorewindresourcealone
couldproducemorethanathirdoftheelectricity
wecurrentlyuseeachyear.Solarpoweris
unlimitedenergyfromthesun,freeforthetaking
ifourstatepoliciesarerevisedtoleveltheplaying
fieldbetweensolarandmoretraditional,
pollutingpowersourceslikecoalandnuclear.
OPPOSEHIGHRISKENERGY
Someenergysourceshavegreaterrisks
associatedwiththeiruse.Old,inefficientand
dirtycoalpowerplantsmustberetiredtoreduce
levelsofpollutionthattriggerasthmaattacksand
heartandlungdisease,putmercuryinourwater,
andcauseclimatechange.Nuclearpowerplants
emitlesscarbonthancoalbutareextremely
expensivetobuild,requirelargeamountsof
watertooperate,generatedangerous,highly
radioactivewasteandcanhavedevastating
consequencesshouldanaccidentoccur.Ourcoast
istooprecioustobecompromisedbyspillsfrom
offshoredrilling.Cleanenergyisapositive
alternativetoeachoftheseriskyenergysources.
TAKEACTIONTODAY!
Find&ContactYourElectedOfficials
http://www.bit.ly/legislator-search
SupportOurWork&Becomea
MemberofSACEToday
www.cleanenergy.org/donate
JointheSoutheastCoastal
ClimateNetwork
http://seccn.groupsite.com
CONTACTYOURELECTEDOFFICIALS
Nationalandstate-levelclimateandenergypoliciesareimperativetoensureprotectionfromtheworst
impactsofclimatechangeandtosecurethebenefitsofcleanenergy.Contactyourelectedofficialsin
WashingtonD.C.andAtlantaandtellthemwemusthaveclimateandenergypoliciesthat:
•Investinjob-creatingenergyefficiencyandcleanenergy
•Limitcarbonpollution,suchastheCleanPowerPlan•PreserveandstrengthentheCleanAirAct
•Holdpollutersaccountableandendfossil-fuelsubsidies
Referencesandlinksavailableontheonlineversionofthisfactsheet:
http://www.cleanenergy.org/ga-climate-impacts