Nebraska

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 Nebraska

Below are some of the potential impacts:

  • By 2100 temperatures in Nebraska could increase by 3°F in spring and summer (with a range of 1-6°F) and 4°F in fall and winter (with a range of 2-7°F.
  • 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, especially those living alone, are at greatest risk. Nebraska, with its irregular, intense heat waves, could be susceptible.
  • Warmer temperatures could increase the incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in Nebraska, because populations of ticks, and their rodent hosts, could increase under warmer temperatures and increased shrub and woodland vegetation.
  • Nebraska relies on both surface and groundwater to meet its water needs. Agricultural irrigation, which depends heavily on groundwater, is the largest user of water. A warmer climate would lead to earlier spring snowmelt, resulting in high streamflows in winter and spring. In the summer, without large increases in precipitation, higher temperatures and increased evaporation would reduce stream flows and lake levels. Groundwater levels also could be reduced by lower spring and summer recharge. For a doubling in CO2 levels, some studies show a 6-34% reduction in inflow into the Missouri River system.
  • Drier summer conditions could severely affect the state’s agricultural economic base.

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

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

Nebraska 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.

USA Map

Regional Initiatives

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


Nebraska participates in the following:

Western Governors' Association (WGA): Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative

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.