Iowa

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 Iowa

Below are some of the potential impacts:

• By 2100 temperatures in Iowa could increase by 2°F in summer (with a range of 1-4°F), 3°F in spring (with a range of 1-5°F), and 4°F in fall and winter (with a range of 2-7°F). Higher temperatures and increased frequency of heat waves may increase the number of heat-related deaths and the incidence of heat-related illnesses.
• Precipitation is estimated to increase by 10% in winter and spring (with a range of 5-20%), 15% in fall (with a range of 5-30%), and 20% in summer (with a range of 10-40%).
• A 2°F warming in the Midwest, with no other change in weather or emissions, could increase concentrations of ozone, a major component of smog, by as much as 8%. Ground-level ozone is associated with respiratory illnesses such as asthma, reduced lung function, and respiratory inflammation. If a warmed climate causes increased use of air conditioners, air pollutant emissions from power plants also will increase.
• Upper and lower respiratory allergies also are influenced by humidity. A 2°F warming and wetter conditions could increase respiratory allergies.
• Warming and other climate changes could expand the habitat and infectivity of disease-carrying insects; for instance, the incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in Iowa could increase, because populations of ticks, and their rodent hosts, could increase under warmer temperatures and increased vegetation.
• In Iowa, production agriculture is a $10 billion annual industry, 60% of which comes from livestock, mainly cattle. Livestock and dairy production may not be affected, unless summer temperatures rise significantly and conditions become significantly drier. Under these conditions, livestock tend to gain less weight and pasture yields decline, limiting forage. Increases in climate variability could make adaptation by farmers more difficult.
• Many areas in Iowa are susceptible to flooding, and the fertile soils in the state are highly erodible. Also, many soils have little permeability, and drainage is a problem. Surface water quality problems are associated with sedimentation from soil erosion and with high concentrations of nitrates, pesticides, and nutrients from agricultural runoff. Increased rainfall would aggravate these problems, particularly because heavier rains are expected in a warmer climate.

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 on Iowa in subjects such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

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

See all rankings

Maps

See CO2 output by sector, coastal population maps, and maps of regional initiatives.

Regional Initiatives

In the absence of federal action, many U.S. states are banding together to explore and employ greenhouse gas-reducing policies.

Iowa participates in the following:

Midwest GHG Registry

Powering the Plains

Learn about climate initiatives in all U.S. states and regions

Your Impact

Estimate your CO2 footprint by using a carbon calculator such as the one on the Inconvenient Truth web site.

How green is your energy? The EPA has a power profiler that can tell you.