A recent study lends new specificity of the human cost and economic damage wreaked by climate change in the coming decades.
"A study published in the journal Science in June is the most extensive model available of what climate change could cost the United States, county by county," according to an article by Natalie Delgadillo. "The study is the first of its kind, linking climate projections with economic effects like mortality, labor productivity, energy demand and crop yields."
By far, the largest economic cost across the U.S. is loss of human life to heat-related injuries. Huge swaths of the South could see these kinds of deaths spike to more than 20 people out of every 100,000. In addition, energy costs will increase as people use air conditioning more often, labor productivity will suffer for those who work outdoors, crop yields will decrease and rising seas will swallow up valuable coastal properties.
The article includes some of the county-level details described in the study, noting that counties in Florida and other Gulf-coast states are particularly vulnerable. The article also includes an interactive map illustrating the study's findings.
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