10 Reasons Floridians Shouldn't Worry About Climate Change

Almost every scientific study that's been released recently indicates that climate change is not only already under way, but is accelerating faster than any previous studies had predicted. So why shouldn't the residents of Florida second only to Alaska for the size of its coastline be worried about global warming?

Well, according to "Florida and Climate Change: The Costs of Inaction," a new report from Tufts University, people in the Sunshine State shouldn't be concerned only if they're looking forward to the following:

1. Becoming the Bangkok of the West. The study by Elizabeth A. Stanton and Frank Ackerman predicts that, if we continue to emit greenhouse gases at current levels, Key West will have average annual temperatures of 87.5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. That's steamier than Bangkok, Thailand, which with an average annual temperature of 83 degrees Fahrenheit is "perhaps the hottest, most humid major city in the world," Stanton and Ackerman write.
2. New opportunities to buy ocean-front property. Staying on a "business-as-usual" path makes it likely that a full 9 percent of Florida's land 4,700 square miles will be under water at high tide by 2060. That includes 99.6 percent of Monroe County (including the Keys) and 70 percent of Miami-Dade County. So if you want ocean-front, start looking for property well north of Miami in the middle of the state.
3. Fewer of those pesky tourists. Rising heat levels, shrinking beaches and threats to the Everglades, Keys, coral reefs and manatees is likely to mean fewer people will want to visit Florida on their holidays. Stanton and Ackerman predict that doing nothing to stop climate change means the Sunshine State will lose $167 billion in tourism dollars and more than 1.1 million tourism-related jobs by 2100.
4. Fewer Florida oranges and tomatoes. Rising temperatures and sea levels, combined with a greater chance of drought and hurricanes, will threaten many of the state's top agricultural crops, according to the Tufts study. As a result, harvests of both oranges and tomatoes are likely to start declining before the end of the century, the study says.
5. Less sprawl. Rising sea levels will threaten more than 900,000 housing units (valued at nearly $130 billion) in the Sunshine state by 2060 unless the global community starts working now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Stanton and Ackerman predict.
6. Fewer of those nasty Not-In-My-Backyard developments. As sea levels rise, homes won't be the only things likely to go underwater, the Tufts study says. Other facilities threatened by encroaching seawater include two nuclear reactors, three prisons, 115 solid-waste disposal sites and 341 hazardous materials sites.
7. Fewer mobile homes. Residents of mobile homes which account for about 12 percent of the state's housing until won't have only rising sea levels to worry about: they'll also be the ones most vulnerable to increased storm activity.
8. More incentive to start using solar power. More frequent heat waves and warmer temperature year-round will increase the demand for electricity throughout the state, the Tufts study says. So now might be a good time to start installing those solar panels on your roof or invest in a solar-power business of your own.
9. More opportunities for bottled-water sellers and desalination operators. Rising temperatures will create an increased demand for freshwater, both for irrigation and other uses, while natural supplies of freshwater will decrease. Encroaching ocean water will seep into existing underground aquifers, making current freshwater supplies brackish and undrinkable, according to Stanton and Ackerman.
10. More exciting "Storm Watch" broadcasts on the Weather Channel. The combination of rising sea levels and the potential for stronger storms as the climate continues to change means that annual hurricane damages could rise to $104 billion a year by 2100. Weather guy Jim Cantore might not be around by that time, but the Weather Channel is sure to have someone else on hand who can give exciting storm play-by-play while clinging to a lamppost wearing a rain slicker.