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Study: Climate change could cost Kansas $1 billionKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)--Rising temperatures and reduced water supply could cost Kansas more than $1 billion in agriculture losses by 2017, according to a new study from the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Environmental Research. The study released July 23 by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research, analyzed the costs of global warming on several states and was paid for in part by the Environmental Defense Fund. The other states studied were Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey and Ohio. The report for Kansas said higher temperatures and lower rainfall amounts could affect the state's agriculture sector with flooding, more invasive plant species and damage to crops and livestock. Climate change would have the biggest effect on Kansas' water resources, from the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies much of the western part of the state's water, to surface water and rainfall in the eastern half of the state. Additional problems could arise as the two sides of the state tried to access limited supplies, the report said. "Changes in precipitation patterns due to climate change, coupled with increasing demand for water from both urban areas and agriculture, could lead to problems in water allocation and quality," the report said. Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Adrian Polansky said he had not read the report but that climate change is a topic "in many areas, including agriculture." "More study of this complicated issue is needed if we are to make meaningful, educated choices that may help us shape a better future for Kansas food production," Polansky said in an e-mail. Western Kansas could also become more prone to flash flooding as its climate gets hotter and drier, the report said, and flooding could further damage water quality because of runoff containing increased levels of pollution and fertilizers. The report also cited a study from the Environmental Protection Agency that said a rise in temperatures of 9 degrees and a 1 percent decrease in precipitation was a possible scenario for western Kansas by 2035 and would result in a crop value decrease of 11 percent, or $290 million. Matthias Ruth, director of CIER and an author of the report, said Thursday the study was a shift from others that focus more on the costs of addressing climate change. "No one has really looked at the other side of the equation, about what it would cost us if we didn't do anything about it," Ruth said. According to the report, agriculture exports accounted for about $3.29 billion, or 3 percent of the state's gross domestic product in 2007. The agriculture industry, it said, makes up about 2 percent of the work force, or 40,000 jobs according to the 2000 Census. "Farming has cultural and traditional significance to Kansas residents and when the industry suffers, the effects reach beyond the crops and workers directly employed by farms," the report said. 8/4/08 Date: 7/31/08 Advertisement
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