Coastal flooding in Maryland. The state earned a B+ rating in a new Climate Central and ICF International report for its capacity to combat future climatic threats, including flooding. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Most U.S. states are prepared to fight the climatic events they currently face — whether drought, wildfires, inland flooding, heat or coastal flooding. But few have taken the appropriate steps to combat future threat levels from climate change, a new analysis from Climate Central and ICF international said Wednesday (PDF).
“Today, we have $8 billion in [climatic] damages a year. In the '80s, adjusted for inflation, we had $3 billion,” Richard Wiles, the Senior Vice President for Program Strategy and Integration at Climate Central, told weather.com. “We're seeing more impacts, and we're very confident those impacts are going to increase — both in terms of the cost of human lives and the cost of recovery.”
Creating comprehensive plans at the state level to address future threats would “save lives both now and in the future,” he added.
(MORE: The weather.com Climate Disruption Index: The U.S. Cities Most Affected by Climate Change)
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