[MCN] Economist Tom Power: climate endangers Montana jobs, economy

Lance Olsen lance at wildrockies.org
Thu Dec 24 09:37:19 EST 2015


1st 4 paragraphs:

Global warming could severely hamper the outdoor economy of the 
nature rich state of Montana, a new study by the state's oldest 
conservation organization found. Thousands of jobs and about a 
billion dollars in earnings may be at jeopardy in the coming decades, 
the group found.

As many as 36,000 jobs and slightly over a billion dollars in labor 
earning could be lost in the next 35 years if greenhouse gas 
emissions don't decline, according to the study commissioned by 
Montana Wildlife Federation. The study looked at the potential impact 
of a 5 degree Fahrenheit increase on a wide array of recreational 
activities, from sports fishing and hunting to skiing and state 
parks, but found the greatest potential for job loss in cattle 
raising and agriculture.

The economic effect of climate change is substantial but may not 
represent the total cost on the state's quality of life, the study's 
author said.

"We were really conservative in our estimates," Thomas Power, 
professor emeritus in the economics department at the University of 
Montana, told ThinkProgress, "although that number of jobs represents 
far more than any industrial operation in the state."

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/22/3734414/montana-climate-change-costs-jobs/
-- 
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"He who knows he has enough is rich."
Lao-Tzu
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