Mississippi

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 Mississippi

Below are some of the potential impacts:

  • By 2100 temperatures in Mississippi could increase by 2°F in winter and summer (with a range of 1-4°F), 3°F in spring (with a range of 1-5°F), and 4°F in fall (with a range of 2-6°F).Precipitation is estimated to change little in winter, increase by 10% in spring (with a range of 5-20%), and 15% in summer and fall (with a range of 5-25%).
  • The frequency of extreme hot days in summer would increase because of the general warming trend. Higher temperatures and increased frequency of heat waves may increase the number of heat-related deaths and the incidence of heat-related illnesses. The elderly, particularly those living alone, are at greatest risk.
  • Higher rainfall and streamflow would alleviate water supply problems, but could increase flooding. Floodplains along the Pearl River, including areas near Jackson, Columbia, Picayune, and along the lower reaches to the Gulf of Mexico, are vulnerable to flooding. Reaches of the Yazoo, Big Black, Tombigbee, and Leaf rivers near Hattisburg, as well as low-lying agricultural lands, also are subject to periodic inundation. Higher rainfall could increase erosion and levels of pesticides and fertilizers in runoff from agricultural lands, a major cause of degraded water quality.
  • Mississippi has a 360-mile tidally influenced shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico. The shoreline consists of a low-lying coastal plain, narrow barrier islands, and low terraces. At Pass Christian, sea level already is rising by 5 inches per century, and it is likely to rise another 15 inches by 2100. sea level rise update
  • Possible responses to sea level rise include building walls to hold back the sea, allowing the sea to advance and adapting to it, and raising the land (e.g., by replenishing beach sand, elevating houses and infrastructure). Each of these responses will be costly, either in out-of-pocket costs or in lost land and structures. For example, the cumulative cost of sand replenishment to protect the coast of Mississippi from the estimated sea level rise by 2100 is $70-$140 million.

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 Mississippi in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

Mississippi 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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