Impact of climate change on Florida economy could be huge

[MineralMan]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/impact-of-climate-change-on-florida-economy-could-be-huge/2178761

{snip}
Florida and Tampa Bay also face the threat of saltwater intrusion that can pollute sources of drinking water. That could prompt more reser­voirs and even more desalination plants such as the $158 mil­lion Apollo Beach unit that took seven years to function.

The National Climate Assessment estimates that more than $1 trillion of the nation's property and structures are "at risk of inundation" if sea levels rise 2 more feet.

"Roughly half of the vulnerable property value is located in Florida," the report warns, with Tampa Bay among places most likely to get soaked.

By 2100, if seas rise 4 feet, look for a cumulative cost of $325 billion to the U.S. economy in responding to widespread flooding, the report says. Florida's portion of that bill? Try $130 billion.
{snip}

And saltwater intrusion has long been an issue in Florida. Now that saltwater is oozing up in the streets of South Beach, the truth is coming home to roost in southern Florida. It's not going to get better, either.

more at link...

[Blue_Tires]

1. Louisiana is becoming a place of concern as well...

So will South Floridians turn to science for answers? Or will they take refuge in the bible and experts from the American Enterprise Institute?

[MineralMan]

2. I'm sure it is.

What will they do? I have no idea. I'm not sure there is a solution that will really work. We're about to begin seeing the results of our failure to deal with climate change, and it's not going to be pretty. It will affect us all, in one way or another.

[FarCenter]

3. $325 billion cumulatively is peanuts in a $15 trillion per year economy

It is less than our annual trade deficit. It is less than a third of a small war.

[MineralMan]

7. I think that number is low.

If the Miami and other coastal areas in Florida become unlivable, the cost will be far, far higher. And that's a distinct possibility. If shopkeepers in South Beach are having to wade to their shops sometimes now, imagine how it will be if that's a constant thing. Whole districts will become untenable for living or business.

My sister's wife lives in Cape Coral, FL, on the Gulf Coast. They've had a dual water system for a very long time. Two sets of plumbing: one for drinking water and another, which is supplied with treated waste water, for all other purposes. And that system is already stressed almost to the limits. In Florida, groundwater resources are very limited, and saltwater intrusion is rapidly moving into water tables.

It's a problem that is potentially disastrous for life on Florida's coastal areas.

[FarCenter]

10. Decades ago a friend who did planning for a utility in FL said water was a limiting factor

Yes, Florida is probably a state that is "mining" water, i.e. the aquifers are being depleted faster than they are replenished by rainwater - particularly since surface water is being drained off or run through agricultural, industrial and residential water systems.

On the other hand, the increasing costs of transportation, particularly by air, will likely kill the tourist business and keep Florida depressed. There is no cheap, green source of jet fuel in the foreseeable future. The price will rise and air travel will be limited to the wealthy, business and government purposes. Mass tourism will end well before the 2100 date.

[pscot]

4. GDP will definitely take a hit

when Miami disappears beneath the waves.

[DFW]

5. I can see where Miami, Tampa and Sarasota becoming uninhabitable could pose a problem

Good time to own property in Orlando (until it's their turn, anyway).

[Jefferson23]

6. The information is there and well documented yet with so much at stake, they seem to

be willing to pass it off.

As the OP states, impact to tourism in the range of 9 billion dollars as early as 2025.

I find this one interesting, home costs rising due to building code changes etc as a result of climate
change repercussions.... people seriously need to be thinking about ending building growth period
in these areas and relocating, never mind deluding themselves these code changes are a reason
to stay.

[MineralMan]

8. The kinfolks say, "Move away from there."

That's my advice. And do it now, before what is obvious becomes more obvious.

[Jefferson23]

9. Yes, prospects do not look promising that we'll address climate change soon enough and

with the intensity necessary..I imagine it has to be a frightening thought for many but in the end,
relocating should be seriously considered.

We need to think about and plan various alternatives to living on a planet we did not take
good care of..have you ever seen these homes?

They're pretty cool: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/