Arkansas

Global climate change poses risks to human health and to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Important economic resources such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and water resources also may be affected. Warmer temperatures, more severe droughts and floods, and sea level rise could have a wide range of impacts. All these stresses can add to existing stresses on resources caused by other influences such as population growth, land-use changes, and pollution.

Climate Change in Arkansas

Below are some of the potential impacts:

• By 2100 the temperatures in Arkansas could increase by 2°F in winter and summer (with a range of 1-4°F), and 3°F in spring and fall (with a range of 1-5°F).
• The frequency of extreme hot days in summer is expected to increase along with the general warming trend. This may increase the number of heat-related deaths and the incidence of heat-related illnesses.
• Warmer temperatures could increase the incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in Arkansas, because populations of ticks, and their rodent hosts, could increase under warmer temperatures and increased vegetation.
• Agriculture is the economic base of Arkansas, and the availability of water for irrigation of crops and maintenance of fish farms in the eastern part of the state is a primary concern. Because of large withdrawals, groundwater levels have declined rapidly in recent years, and saline water from underlying rocks has begun to intrude into the freshwater aquifers. Farmers have resorted to drilling deeper wells and exploring the use of surface waters from the Arkansas, White, and Little Red rivers as an alternative source. In a warmer climate, these problems could be exacerbated. Without increases in rainfall, higher temperatures and evaporation in the summer could cause drier summer conditions. This could result in lower streamflows, lake levels, and groundwater levels at a time when water demand, particularly for irrigation, is often the highest.
• Many of the tributaries of the Arkansas River currently go dry during dry periods. Lower summer flows could also affect water-based recreation such as fishing, boating, and canoeing.
• Warmer, drier summer conditions could also increase water quality problems such as low dissolved oxygen and lake eutrophication, and could adversely affect wetlands.

The above are based on from the Environmental Protection Agency's report on climate change, which uses data from the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001).

For more info on climate change impacts in Arkansas in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

Arkansas is the highest emitter of C02 of all 50 states and the most populous.

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Maps

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Regional Initiatives

This state does not participate in any regional initiatives.

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Your Impact

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