WASHINGTON–More than half of all the counties in the United States face increased risks related to future exposure to at least one of three climate hazards — flooding, wildfire, or extreme heat – that will hurt Americans’ household finances, according to a new report released by the Treasury Department.
The report also asserts that about one in five of all U.S. counties face both elevated vulnerability and elevated future exposure to these climate hazards.
The report seeks to explore the effects of climate hazards that are climate-related events and conditions that cause harm or damage to people, property, resources, and the environment, Treasury said. It further identifies certain populations and places that may face heightened financial strain due to their vulnerability and exposure to climate hazards, the department added.
‘Particularly Susceptible’
“Though many households are impacted by climate hazards, certain households are particularly susceptible to experiencing financial strain, for example outdoor workers facing income loss due to adverse climate conditions, single-parent households, particularly those headed by women, facing reduced child care availability, and lower-income households facing reduced access to credit,” Treasury said in a fact sheet it released in conjunction with the report.
Three Regions at Risk
The report identified three regions in the country where exposure to climate change-related can have a severe effect, including:
- Flood exposure in Appalachia. “Flooding imposes severe financial hardships on Appalachian households by damaging critical infrastructure like roads and bridges, which could potentially reduce access to key community resources like healthcare centers.”
- Wildfire exposure in border regions between the U.S. and Mexico. “Households in U.S.-Mexico border areas with outdoor workers face financial strain due to future wildfire exposure, which could result in lost income from foregone working hours.”
- Heat exposure in the Mississippi Delta: Households in the Mississippi Delta face financial challenges due to future extreme heat conditions, as resulting heat-related illnesses can necessitate added spending on healthcare.
The full report can be found here.
Just Because It’s Autumn Doesn’t Mean Falling for Schemes to Overcharge You for CU Industry News. Instead, Try This Crisp Offer
The biggest, best and freshest news reporting in credit unions remains free! Each morning CUToday.info delivers its daily Fresh Today news update offering the latest headlines and breaking news right to your email, with the easy-to-read headlines format allowing you to click on the stories that interest you most in order to learn more. So stop paying those bank-fee-like subscription prices from other so-called “news”” publications!
If you haven’t yet signed up for the new email solution on which CUToday.info has partnered with ResponseGenius, you can do so here. Signing up requires less than one minute of your time—and it’s free!
Please note that after signing up you may need to go to your Spam/Junk folder and mark the morning headlines email as safe. CUToday.info does not provide its list of readers and emails to outside parties, and we will not be contacting you to sell you an extended warranty or sending you any links so you may cash in on an inheritance you didn’t know was coming.
And did we mention it’s free?