ZANESVILLE -- Global warming could cost corn growers in Ohio $50 million per year, according to a new report by Environment Ohio.
With the report, "Hotter Fields, Lower Yields," Environment Ohio analyzed the expected future impacts of global warming on America's corn growers. The analysis draws on a 2008 study by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, a joint project of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and 12 other federal agencies. The report pairs the government estimates of the relative loss in corn productivity in major U.S. corn-producing areas because of global warming with USDA data on the size of the corn industry to estimate the financial impact from global warming.
The analysis considers the combined effect of increasing temperatures and increasing levels of carbon dioxide but assumes crops get sufficient water, and it does not include other negative effects of global warming, such as more frequent extreme storms, higher levels of ozone and the spreading of diseases, pests and weeds.
Ohio ranks eighth for highest damage estimates. Nationwide, the damages to the United State's No. 1 crop total more than $1.4 billion annually.
This spring, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Rep. Zack Space is a member, will consider a bill answering President Barack Obama's call for clean energy and global warming legislation. The House of Representatives is expected to consider the bill this summer.
Log on to www.environmentamerica.org to download a PDF of the "Hotter Fields, Lower Yields" report.