Sep 3, 2008 2:10 pm US/Eastern
UMd. Report: Climate Change To Cost State Billions
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) ―
A new University of Maryland report says climate change is expected to cost the state's economy billions of dollars.
The report says the biggest impact will be from rising sea levels along the state's coast, although effects will be felt statewide.
The report was prepared by the university's Center for Integrative Environmental Research, and was part of the Climate Action Plan delivered to the governor last month by the Maryland Commission on Climate Change.
The report says Maryland's economy is particularly vulnerable because of the amount of coastal development. Climate change may also reduce the quality and quantity of drinking water, although streamside tree planting and buffer strips can help.
Careful planning also can reduce the urban heat island effect, in which cities have higher temperatures than surrounding areas.
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