The financial cost of climate change in Youngstown - WKBN.com

The financial cost of climate change in Youngstown, Ohio

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio(WKBN) – As climate change continues to affect communities worldwide, a state-wide organization has looked at how it can affect the Youngstown area, and how much it could cost.

The Ohio Environmental Council released a report last year calculating the rising costs related to climate change. On Thursday, the group presented that report in Youngstown.

“By 2050, the state of Ohio and the local communities within it will have to pay between $2-6 billion more a year in local government funding to respond to the impacts of climate change,” said Nolan Rutschilling, managing director of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council.

Rutschilling says climate change has the ability to impact many things including electrical costs, road repairs, drinking water treatment and more.

“Climate change will bring more extreme weather, more variable weather, more extreme rainfall, less predictable weather, more extreme highs, more low cold temperatures. All of that means we’ll see more rain, more snow, more flooding that will impact our infrastructure in the state,” he said.

Rutschilling says this will cause more potholes and damage to the roads and waterways.

According to the report, the current annual cost of utility spending in Youngstown is $2.8 million. The report states that by 2050, that number can increase anywhere from $14,000 – $210,000 more.

Rutschilling says local governments have the ability to lessen the impact on costs.

“From a local government perspective, it’s all about planning and being able to respond. Local governments need to start considering the impacts of climate change in their long-term planning and budgeting,” Rutschilling said.

Rutschilling says there are also things residents can do to be more intentional such as installing solar panels and using appliances that reduce energy consumption.

You can read the full report below.