Climate change could cost Ohio billions

Ohio municipalities must spend between $2 and $6 billion yearly by 2050 to maintain up with the consequences of local weather change.

Driving the information: Rising electrical energy utilization, highway repairs, stormwater administration and energy line upkeep are among the many likely-to-balloon bills highlighted in a brand new report sponsored by the Ohio Environmental Council and Energy a Clear Future Ohio.

• The rise is projected to be 26% to 82% increased than spending ranges in 2019.

Why it issues: As temperatures improve, excessive and disruptive climate like final month’s power-stopping storms are solely anticipated to change into extra frequent.

• The price of addressing it may fall onto taxpayers, the report cautions.

Menace stage: Columbus continues to get hotter. Our annual common temperature is up 3.7 levels since 1970.

Zoom in: The environmental report used Columbus Metropolis Faculties for example the impression of extended warmth on city districts, together with canceled courses.

• All Columbus school rooms are slated to be air-conditioned for the primary time this tutorial yr, following a number of years of renovations.
• The worth tag: $1 to $5 million per constructing.

Zoom out: The biggest anticipated statewide expense — an estimated $580 million to $2.2 billion yearly — is defending consuming water from Lake Erie’s dangerous algal blooms, attributable to hotter water and heavy rain.

• Different high-cost objects embody elevating roads to keep away from flooding and working extra cooling facilities to assist residents escape warmth.

What they’re saying: “Except we see drastic modifications at each stage of presidency to deal with carbon emissions within the subsequent few years, these impacts will solely proceed to worsen — and the associated fee to deal with them will skyrocket,” the report’s authors say.

The underside line: It is getting hotter. If that does not change, the implications may very well be dire and costly.