July 8th, 2009
From Green Right Now Reports
Pennsylvania faces a future in which warmer temperatures may hamper the ability of some crops to thrive, cooling costs for buildings will rise and heating costs will fall, according to a report released today by the Department of Environmental Protection.
“Climate change is long-term variations to daily weather patterns,” DEP Secretary John Hanger said in a statement. “Those variations can have positive and negative effects on various sectors of everyday life. This report presents an assessment of how climate change could potentially affect such things as human health, wildlife, recreation, agriculture, tourism and the economy in Pennsylvania for the rest of the 21st Century.”
Hanger said the report states temperatures and precipitation are likely to increase in the decades to come. Those conditions could lead to longer growing seasons, which could increase the yield of crops like corn and soy beans. But those same conditions could also lead to a decrease in the yield of cool-temperature adapted fruits and vegetables like apples and potatoes.
The Pennsylvania Climate Impact Assessment was required by Act 70 of 2008 and prepared for the DEP by Penn State University’s Environment and Natural Resources Institute. The report is based on readily available data, scientific literature and quantitative analyses.
“This report is not a conclusion, but rather a beginning,” said Hanger. “It describes the scientific climate change models used to predict future climate scenarios and what associated changes in the environment and various economic sectors we may expect from climate change. It is a resource intended to inform and educate decision makers on climate change impacts, which in turn will help shape mitigation strategies.”
Pennsylvania’s Climate Change Advisory Committee is developing a climate change action plan that will include an inventory and forecast of greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania and develop a series of strategies to reduce those emissions.
Related links:
- View the report (keyword: Climate Change)
CONTACT: John Repetz
(717) 787-1323
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
