Interesting read for climate change problems

[Moveon]

A non-partisan federal watchdog says climate change is already costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and droughts become more frequent in the coming decades.
A Government Accountability Office report released Monday said the federal government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance programs and losses from flood and crop insurance. That tally does not include the massive toll from this year's wildfires and three major hurricanes, expected to be among the most costly in the nation's history.
The Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to a $36.5 billion hurricane relief package that would provide Puerto Rico with a much-needed infusion of cash and keep the federal flood insurance program from running out of money to pay claims from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. That's on top of another $15.3 billion aid package approved last month.
The report predicts these costs will only grow in the future, averaging a budget busting $35 billion each year by 2050 — a figure that recent history would suggest is a conservative estimate.
"Climate change impacts are already costing the federal government money, and these costs will likely increase over time as the climate continues to change," the report said.
Calculating just how much of the spending from disasters is directly attributable to the changing climate is not possible, the report's authors conclude, but the trend is clear: "The impacts and costs of extreme events — such as floods, drought and other events — will increase in significance as what are considered rare events become more common and intense because of climate change."
The federal government doesn't effectively plan for these recurring costs, the report said, classifying the financial exposure from climate-related costs as "high risk."
"The federal government has not undertaken strategic government-wide planning to manage climate risks by using information on the potential economic effects of climate change to identify significant risks and craft appropriate federal responses," the study said. "By using such information, the federal government could take the initial step in establishing government-wide priorities to manage such risks."
GAO undertook the study following a request from Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
"This nonpartisan GAO report Senator Cantwell and I requested contains astonishing numbers about the consequences of climate change for our economy and for the federal budget in particular," said Collins. "In Maine, our economy is inextricably linked to the environment. We are experiencing a real change in the sea life, which has serious implications for the livelihoods of many people across our state, including those who work in our iconic lobster industry."
The report's authors reviewed 30 government and academic studies examining the national and regional impacts of climate change. They also interviewed 28 experts familiar with the strengths and limitations of the studies, which rely on future projections of climate impacts to estimate likely costs.
The report says the fiscal impacts of climate change are likely to vary widely by region. The Southeast is at increased risk because of coastal property that could be swamped by storm surge and sea level rise. The Northeast is also under threat from storm surge and sea level rise, though not as much as the Southeast.
The Midwest and Great Plains are susceptible to decreased crop yields, the report said. The West is expected to see increased drought, wildfires and deadly heatwaves.
Advance copies were provided to the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency, which provided no official comments for inclusion in the GAO report.
Requests for comment from The Associated Press also received no response on Monday.
President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax, announcing his intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords and revoke Obama-era initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Trump has also appointed officials such as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, all of whom question the scientific consensus that carbon released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of global warming.
Earlier this month Trump nominated Kathleen Hartnett White of Texas to serve as his top environmental adviser at the White House. She has credited the fossil fuel industry with "vastly improved living conditions across the world" and likened the work of mainstream climate scientists to "the dogmatic claims of ideologues and clerics."
White, who works at a conservative think tank that has received funding from fossil-fuel companies, holds academic degrees in East Asian studies and comparative literature.
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[dragmerc]

they ain't spent a dime on me. i've got enough sense not to live on a coast, in tornado alley, or in a california brush pile. and i'm tired of paying for these people a new house every few years. quit rewarding bad decisions. if they want to live on the beautiful coast, they should pay the consequences. and don't tell me hurricanes are worse now. only reason more money is spent now is because everything costs more now...duh.

[DJD]

A non-partisan federal watchdog says climate change is already costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and droughts become more frequent in the coming decades.
A Government Accountability Office report released Monday said the federal government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance programs and losses from flood and crop insurance. That tally does not include the massive toll from this year's wildfires and three major hurricanes, expected to be among the most costly in the nation's history.
The Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to a $36.5 billion hurricane relief package that would provide Puerto Rico with a much-needed infusion of cash and keep the federal flood insurance program from running out of money to pay claims from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. That's on top of another $15.3 billion aid package approved last month.
The report predicts these costs will only grow in the future, averaging a budget busting $35 billion each year by 2050 — a figure that recent history would suggest is a conservative estimate.
"Climate change impacts are already costing the federal government money, and these costs will likely increase over time as the climate continues to change," the report said.
Calculating just how much of the spending from disasters is directly attributable to the changing climate is not possible, the report's authors conclude, but the trend is clear: "The impacts and costs of extreme events — such as floods, drought and other events — will increase in significance as what are considered rare events become more common and intense because of climate change."
The federal government doesn't effectively plan for these recurring costs, the report said, classifying the financial exposure from climate-related costs as "high risk."
"The federal government has not undertaken strategic government-wide planning to manage climate risks by using information on the potential economic effects of climate change to identify significant risks and craft appropriate federal responses," the study said. "By using such information, the federal government could take the initial step in establishing government-wide priorities to manage such risks."
GAO undertook the study following a request from Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
"This nonpartisan GAO report Senator Cantwell and I requested contains astonishing numbers about the consequences of climate change for our economy and for the federal budget in particular," said Collins. "In Maine, our economy is inextricably linked to the environment. We are experiencing a real change in the sea life, which has serious implications for the livelihoods of many people across our state, including those who work in our iconic lobster industry."
The report's authors reviewed 30 government and academic studies examining the national and regional impacts of climate change. They also interviewed 28 experts familiar with the strengths and limitations of the studies, which rely on future projections of climate impacts to estimate likely costs.
The report says the fiscal impacts of climate change are likely to vary widely by region. The Southeast is at increased risk because of coastal property that could be swamped by storm surge and sea level rise. The Northeast is also under threat from storm surge and sea level rise, though not as much as the Southeast.
The Midwest and Great Plains are susceptible to decreased crop yields, the report said. The West is expected to see increased drought, wildfires and deadly heatwaves.
Advance copies were provided to the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency, which provided no official comments for inclusion in the GAO report.
Requests for comment from The Associated Press also received no response on Monday.
President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax, announcing his intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords and revoke Obama-era initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Trump has also appointed officials such as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, all of whom question the scientific consensus that carbon released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of global warming.
Earlier this month Trump nominated Kathleen Hartnett White of Texas to serve as his top environmental adviser at the White House. She has credited the fossil fuel industry with "vastly improved living conditions across the world" and likened the work of mainstream climate scientists to "the dogmatic claims of ideologues and clerics."
White, who works at a conservative think tank that has received funding from fossil-fuel companies, holds academic degrees in East Asian studies and comparative literature.
———
Follow Associated Press environmental writer Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck
———
Submit a confidential tip to The Associated Press at https://www.ap.org.tips

I believe it is a political darling of another Trumped up emergency like Healthcare. Make everything that happens an issue with Global Warming and do it for 20 years and *poof* you have another means of tax revenue. I don't even care anymore because we are gonna get taxed on it because people like yourself love to skew data to promote your viewpoint in order to be right. You don't think some of the "professional" opinions of the left haven't received money for their opinions? Come on I hope you are not that naive.
So the article uses wide sweeping comments about things that have happened or may happen. So this year when we had several hurricanes it was global warming, years without the hurricanes it was Global Warming, Drought, floods, wind, snow, ice all Global Warming. Violent Crimes up...yep Global Warming. Federal deficit, yep Global Warming. Birth rates down? Global Warming again. It doesn't stop. Like I said I don't even care anymore...i know what's coming. My only satisfaction is that we all will pay not just me. Bring it on..taxes for everyone!!

[Moveon]

I believe it is a political darling of another Trumped up emergency like Healthcare. Make everything that happens an issue with Global Warming and do it for 20 years and *poof* you have another means of tax revenue. I don't even care anymore because we are gonna get taxed on it because people like yourself love to skew data to promote your viewpoint in order to be right. You don't think some of the "professional" opinions of the left haven't received money for their opinions? Come on I hope you are not that naive.
So the article uses wide sweeping comments about things that have happened or may happen. So this year when we had several hurricanes it was global warming, years without the hurricanes it was Global Warming, Drought, floods, wind, snow, ice all Global Warming. Violent Crimes up...yep Global Warming. Federal deficit, yep Global Warming. Birth rates down? Global Warming again. It doesn't stop. Like I said I don't even care anymore...i know what's coming. My only satisfaction is that we all will pay not just me. Bring it on..taxes for everyone!!

You are dead wrong when you say I'm skewing the data. Dead Wrong. I copied and pasted the article hoping that you would read it and learn something. Seems that some people are just incapable of learning the truth and want to deny everything new.
Like I said it's apolitical.

[DJD]

You are dead wrong when you say I'm skewing the data. Dead Wrong. I copied and pasted the article hoping that you would read it and learn something. Seems that some people are just incapable of learning the truth and want to deny everything new.
Like I said it's apolitical.

This is very political. You have just jumped down that rabbit hole.

[kygorski]

My sons dish washer broke down, and caused some floor damage.For years he never filed a claim, and then found out the old 500 buck deductible also went extinct. One reason, the recent cost of the storms over the past 3 years have made the insurers raise everyones premiums. WHY do they let developers re build on questionable locations? Sure those individuals pay steep premiums, but they also make everyone of bare some of the cost.

[DJD]

My sons dish washer broke down, and caused some floor damage.For years he never filed a claim, and then found out the old 500 buck deductible also went extinct. One reason, the recent cost of the storms over the past 3 years have made the insurers raise everyones premiums. WHY do they let developers re build on questionable locations? Sure those individuals pay steep premiums, but they also make everyone of bare some of the cost.

I agree👍🏼 Seems like it’s getting worse and worse. We are bracing for a serious change with our health insurance at the shop. Our claims didn’t go up and I realize we all pay based on averages but man the cost of living goes up and up but the increase in pay can’t keep up. People better live within their means or they are headed for some bad times.

[Moveon]

This is very political. You have just jumped down that rabbit hole.

The evidence is clear. And as Kygorski said. It effects us all down the road. Higher premiums for insurance don't just hit those that live along the coast lines.

Just as getting rid of Obama care will raise the premiums of health insurance for everyone else. Why? Those without health insurance tend to wait until they are very sick or seriously injured and that raises the cost of their treatment. And then they will go to the ER for the emergency treatments which cost 3x as much as going to a regular doctor. Hospitals will pass that cost on to everyone else as the poor won't pay.

[kygorski]

First don't get sick.Avoid old age. avoid promiscuity, tobacco, alcohol, but sing as much as your trigger happy neighbor will allow. Heck next thing you know you'll be and old man of 50.

[Moveon]

First don't get sick.Avoid old age. avoid promiscuity, tobacco, alcohol, but sing as much as your trigger happy neighbor will allow. Heck next thing you know you'll be and old man of 50.

Don't get Sick? Yea right. Now that's not going to happen. Avoid Women, booze and tobacco. Well it's hard to avoid all three. I can do one out of three. And if my neighbors heard me singing they would call the law on me!

Speaking of neighbors. I have a new one across the street in a rental property. They have two or three dogs. One big Black German Shepard that likes to bark at anything that moves while he's outside in the kennel in their back yard. Every time I go out of the front door he barks at me. The other night I was out draining the water from the three sections of garden hose as it was suppose to get down below zero that night and I didn't want the hoses ruined by water inside of them freezing, expanding and splitting the hose again. I had that happen once before.

So I'm on my back deck and it's dark outside. I'm wearing a baseball cap with a light built into the brim to see the hose so that I can use a wrench to unscrew the end of the hose from the outside faucet. I'm done with the job and about ready to go back into the house but hear leaves being walked on at the side of the house. I walk across the deck to the East side of the house and look down to see two bright eyes reflecting the light from my hat back at me. It was the Black German Shepard looking at me from less than 10 ft away. He turned and ran as I guess the lights on my hat spooked him. I turned around and went back in the house. So much for thinking that the dog would not get lose from his kennel. They keep the dogs in the house but let them out in the kennel at times. No big deal until they get lose and start coming over to my house when I'm not expecting them to be in my yard.

Now in the past I had a neighbor behind my house who got to African Lion Dogs and invisible fence enclosure all around his yard. Those don't work 100% of the time. The batteries in the dog collars wear out and the dogs no longer get the warning or a shock and they are free to escape. Now you would have had to see these dogs and how they acted to understand my concern. They attack up to the fence any thing that moves around them. These dogs are fearless which is why they are used to hunt LIONS. And they can jump four times their body length as they are very lean and strong. They finally got tired of these two dogs tearing up their yard. The dogs were constantly pacing and running around the yard. They would chase along the fence line any car or person that drove or walked by the front of the house. They never stopped and they ran in the same path wearing the grass away into a mud pit at times.

Then there was the neighbors two houses behind my house. They have a Great Mastiff that barked all the time and came after me once or twice when it got lose from it's chain. They chained him to a dog house in their back yard. I called the animal control of them when the dog got lose and tried to enter my house though two doors. He tore up my back screen on the storm door. They got rid of him too.

Now I have another big Black German Shepard to contend with. I don't know the new neighbors and don't want to go over there with the dog around. They have not tried to be friendly either. They come and go and mind their own business. The first time their Shepard got lose I noticed the guy out in his back yard and told him that his dog had been in my back yard a few minute ago. He didn't really say much back. It was dark and I guess he was outside looking for his dog who was running lose. He didn't say sorry or anything. He's a carpenter and works for a company that I worked for in the past so we have some mutual friends as I know his boss very well. I over saw all the workers in that company many years ago before I retired.

Now I have a dilemma. I can call animal control or the sheriff every time the dog gets lose and comes into my yard or walk in my yard in fear of the dog attacking me or at lease coming up to me and checking me out. The dog is aggressive in that he holds his tail up high and is not afraid. Just the fact that as soon as he got lose he came across the street into my yard to check things out. He sees me coming and going out of the house and into my truck all the time when he's left out in the kennel.

So now every time I go outside I will have to be prepared to meet this dog when I'm not expecting a dog to running though my yard.

If the animal control can't stop them from letting the dog run lose in the neighborhood then I'll have to protect myself.

I carry a 9 mm most of the time when going out. But I don't always carry when out working in the yard. I still have to clean out the gutters and cut the grass one more time to chop up all the leaves that have fallen down onto the grass.

It's going to be me or the dog. I chose me. I've been living her for over 25 years now and I don't intend to let some renter's ruin my day. This use to be a nice neighborhood. Now I'm not so sure about that.

[kygorski]

Climate concerns are not a concern to MOST americans. Were going to have weather whether or not. and there will be climate whether were here or not. We as a country are not that worried about future consequences, you can't put future in the bank, what we we want and need we want now, or tommorow at the latest. We tend to forget the bad parts of history, theres no money in it. there will be a time[i wont rbe around to see it]when draconian measures will be needed because of the large growing lower income class. Low cost housing is becoming harder to find, and that which is available in most cases is poor quality. That trend is not going to stop, because investment groups buy up all the property they can,and re -sell it at a good profit to those who can afford it, and fewer can. We are on the verge of growing ghost towns around us, because people who are tired of driving 4 hours a day[traffic] are moving back to the areas they work in, or are work at home folks. But the sprall has consequences, once good schools are now becoming third rate, or being vacated because the school aged population has moved on. America will be great again, BUT it won't be the america most of know.