'Compounding climate impacts' will be felt in Jackson Hole - Buckrail
'Compounding climate impacts' will be felt in Jackson Hole
JACKSON, Wyo. — As climate change continues to affect western states, including Wyoming, “compounding climate impacts” will directly affect members of the Jackson Hole community.
The Jackson Hole Climate Action Collective’s “A Climate Action Roadmap for Jackson Hole, Wyoming,” a citizen-produced set of strategies and actions compiled from the past two years, highlights compounding climate impacts as a concern for vulnerable communities as the climate crisis worsens.
The Roadmap explains that compounding climate impacts happen when those with existing financial and housing concerns, or those experiencing any marginalization like racism or sexism, face additional health concerns and financial stress due to rising temperatures and lack of air conditioning.
“As hot streaks and cold snaps become more common, energy bills will become more expensive, causing more stress to low-income communities,” the Report says. “Folks who reside in cramped living spaces with many other housemates will be more at risk of growing rates of viruses due to climate change. Changing temperatures and seasons will heighten food prices, causing additional harm to low-income families.”
This compounded concern and increase in stress related to the climate crisis can trigger depression, stress, anxiety, grief, substance abuse, disempowerment, hopelessness and PTSD, according to the American Public Health Association.
A housing crisis is affecting many in Teton County with record-breaking single-family home sale prices, and the gender wage gap in Wyoming is one of the highest in the U.S. Wyoming women are also currently fighting against abortion laws for body autonomy.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a little over 15 percent of the total population in Teton County identifies as Hispanic or Latino, a group that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says has historically faced discrimination in employment, housing and education.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”