Regional impacts of climate change - WTAP

Regional impacts of climate change

What does climate change mean for the Mid-Ohio Valley?

MARIETTA, Ohio (WTAP) - Wildfires in Canada and ocean temperatures off the coast of South Florida have set records and sparked conversations about global climate change in recent months. But what does climate change mean for the Mid-Ohio Valley?

Reports from the Environmental Protection Agency on climate change in West Virginia and Ohio offer some answers.

Most regions across both states have seen temperatures rise up to one degree Fahrenheit over the past century, according to the reports. The reports also say both states have seen increased precipitation. More rain and higher temperatures could mean both more intense flooding and prolonged drought as rivers and streams overflow more easily and water evaporates faster.

Marietta College Director of Environmental Science Doctor Eric Fitch says increased migration from other parts of the country and world could likely be another side effect of climate change in the coming years. “The problems that we have with -- well, the problems certain peoples, certain nations have with migration today are going to be nothing in comparison to where we’re going to be in 20, 30, 50 years if we continue to get hotter and hotter,” Fitch said.

Fitch says increased migration could happen if parts of the country and world becoming unlivable due to extreme temperatures and weather.

Rising temperatures don’t just effect people -- other living things in affected regions can be harmed or hurt by climate change. According to the EPA’s report on climate change in West Virginia, “warmer temperatures allow deer populations to increase, leading to a loss of forest underbrush, which, in turn, makes some animals more vulnerable to predators. Rising temperatures also enable invasive species to move into areas that were previously too cold.”

The EPA also notes that, as temperatures increase, tick populations can grow. For this reason, the agency attributes a rise in cases of Lyme disease in many states -- including West Virginia -- at least in part to climate change.

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