The new federal climate assessment report issued on Friday paints a dire picture for the future of the Rhode Island environment -- and economy -- due to the impacts of global warming.
On the macro level, the study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) outlines devastating effects of climate change on the United States. The economy could lose hundreds of billions of dollars -- more than 10% of its GDP -- by the end of the century.
The report issued by the administration of President Donald Trump states that the Northeast will be among the hardest hit areas in the country, “Ocean and coastal ecosystems are being affected by large changes in a variety of climate-related environmental conditions. These ecosystems support fishing and aquaculture, tourism and recreation, and coastal communities.”
“Observed and projected increases in temperature, acidification, storm frequency and intensity, and sea levels are of particular concern for coastal and ocean ecosystems, as well as local communities and their interconnected social and economic systems,” states the report.
SEE SLIDES BELOW -- 7 Ways RI and Northeast Will Be Impacted By Global Warming
The study finds that high temperatures will continue to get hotter and impact more days each summer and correspondingly, the number of severe winter days will increase.
“The new study is a comprehensive summary of the effects that are and will result from global climate change. In Rhode Island and in the northeast, we are seeing rising sea level, coastal erosion, storm events and changes in fisheries due to climate change, and these impacts will only increase with time,” Dean Bruce Corliss of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography told GoLocal.
“The report discusses the broad impact that climate change will have on the nation and the need to address climate change issues. Climate change is an issue that will affect virtually all citizens in the coming years and it needs attention at the federal, state and local level,” said Corliss.
“By the middle of the century, the freeze-free period across much of the Northeast is expected to lengthen by as much as two weeks under the lower scenario and by two to three weeks under the higher scenario. By the end of the century, the freeze-free period is expected to increase by at least three weeks over most of the region,” states the report.
The new federal report says all will not be treated equally. The poor, young and old will be hit the hardest by the effects of climate change. “Although climate change affects all residents of the Northeast region, risks are not experienced equally. The impact of climate change on an individual depends on the degree of exposure, the individual sensitivity to that exposure, and the individual or community-level capacity to recover.”
“Thus, health impacts of climate change will vary across people and communities of the Northeast region depending on social, socioeconomic, demographic, and societal factors; community adaptation efforts; and underlying individual vulnerability. Particularly vulnerable groups include older or socially isolated adults, children, low-income communities, and communities of color,” the report states.
A previous study by Climate Central found that Rhode Island has 25,000 people at risk of coastal flooding. By 2050, an additional 8,000 people are projected to be at risk due to sea level rise.
Teresa Crean with RI Sea Grant and the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center, while appearing on GoLocal LIVE said the impact of rising sea level in Rhode Island is already being seen in communities like Newport, Wickford, Westerly and Oakland Beach.
URI Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant have developed STORMTOOLS, where anyone can plug in an address and see your risk of coastal flooding now or in the future.
Based on research Crean says they are looking at one foot of sea level rise by 2035.
A study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 2017 shows that thousands of Rhode Island's most prized coastal real estate properties will soon be at risk of tidal flooding, which would have a devastating impact in a state so heavily reliant on its coast.
According to the UCS data, the risk is imminent and fast-growing, with flooding coming not just from storms and heavy rain but instead just from normal high tide.
Hundreds of US coastal communities will soon face chronic, disruptive flooding that directly affects people's homes, lives, and properties.
Rhode Island in Focus
The study's "high level" estimate shows that by 2030, more than 400 Rhode Island properties worth collectively just under $300 million will be at risk of flooding or complete destruction.
As time goes on, projections become increasingly grim. Just 30 years later in 2060, that number more than triples to just around 2,000 RI properties, valued at over $1 billion.
By the end of the century, the high estimate shows over 6,600 properties valued at more than $3.6 billion will be at risk, affecting just under 13,000 people in the state.
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