• Sustainability

U.S. and North America Most Resilient to Climate Change

• climate change
• economy
• resilience

A new study by the Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit (EIU) finds not surprisingly that rich countries such as those in Europe and North America are more resilient to climate change, with less impact on their economies than other regions.  The EIU used an index and found that the global economy will be 3% smaller in 2050 when analyzed against a new framework they developed, while the U.S. will be 1.1% smaller, according to CNN Business.

Why This Matters:  The extent of preparation for climate change impacts is an important economic health indicator for banks, governments, companies, and other institutions as they make investments in those regions — not to mention the citizens of those regions when they consider the effectiveness of their governing institutions.

• People

Interview of the Week: Lora Smith

• Appalachia
• coal country
• development
• economy

Lora Smith heads the Appalachian Impact Fund at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. She also serves as the co-chair of the Downtown Revitalization Working Group at the Appalachia Funders Network, a network of investors focused on the shared goal of an equitable Appalachian economic transition. ODP: Can you give a bit of detail of the […]

• Climate Change

Warming winters a major threat to snow sports economy

• economic threat
• economy
• Lindsey Vonn
• snow
• snow boarding
• warming
• winter sports

While the thought of avoiding winter might sound nice, the actual impact of warming temperatures in cold months is nothing to wish for. Already in most U.S. states, winters have already warmed faster than any other season and as Climate Central reported those warmer winters are coming with serious (and rising) costs. America’s cold-weather recreation sector has a particularly big stake in warming winters. Activities from downhill skiing to ice fishing and outdoor ice hockey all rely on low temperatures, ample snowfall, or both. Every year, winter recreation contributes billions of dollars to the United States’ economy.

• Animals

Florida Red Tide Takes Record Number of Turtles

• dolphins
• economy
• endangered
• Florida
• harmful algal blooms
• manatees
• red tide
• sea turtles
• tourism
• toxic algae

The red tide that tormented the coast of Florida was extremely deadly for marine wildlife.  The Miami Herald Tribune reported that the Florida Department of Fish and Game attributed the deaths of 589 sea turtles and 213 manatee deaths to this episode of red tide, which began in late 2017. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported it had killed 127 bottlenose dolphins as of Dec. 20 (when the government shutdown began), leading the agency to declare an unusual mortality event.  And that is not counting the tons of dead fish that washed ashore.