Study Documents Global Warming Impact on Washington State
While the Bush administration continues to stick its head in the sand regarding global warming, a new $100,000 report documents the cost to Washington State from global warning. The report, "Impacts of Climate Change on Washington’s Economy" was the result of a study by Washington and Oregon researchers. The report concludes that "It’s safe to say that virtually every aspect of the state’s economy will be effected by climate change." The report found that increased carbon dioxide will mean higher temperatures which will increase the number of wildfires and the cost of fighting fires, will cause increased spread of disease including West Nile Virus, will mean less rain and snow causing water shortages and will cause Puget Sound to rise between one and five inches per decade. The study was peer reviewed. A second study was released on greenhouse gas emissions which indicated that carbon dioxide emissions increased 32% since 1977. For previous discussions of global warming see post of 12/31/06.