North Carolina
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 North Carolina
Below are some of the potential impacts:
- By 2100 temperatures in North Carolina could increase by 3°F (with a range of 1-5°F) in all seasons (slightly less in winter and summer, slightly more in spring and fall). The frequency of extreme hot days in summer would increase because of the general warming trend.
- North Carolina has a 3,375-mile tidally influenced shoreline, consisting of a long chain of barrier islands, including the Outer Banks, and extensive salt marshes and tidal freshwater marshes that have formed behind these barrier islands. As sea level rises, coastal marshes may initially expand by spreading onto low-lying terraces, particularly in and around Albemarle Sound. Further changes in the extent of coastal wetlands will vary with location, with significant loss of wetlands possible in some areas.
- North Carolina has experienced more direct hurricane strikes than any other Atlantic coast state except Florida, and the coast could be susceptible to additional damages from hurricanes as higher sea levels increase the vulnerability of some areas to storm surge.
- At Long Bay, sea level already is rising by approximately 2 inches per century, and it is likely to rise another 12 inches by 2100. The cumulative cost of sand replenishment to protect the coast of North Carolina from a 20-inch sea level rise by 2100 is estimated at $660 million to $3.6 billion. sea level rise update
- With changes in climate, the extent and density of forested areas in North Carolina could change little or decline by 5-10%. However, the types of trees dominating those forests are likely to change. The warmer mixed forests, dominated by southern pines and oaks, could spread northward, replacing the predominantly hardwood forests of the north and west. The forests of western North Carolina in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park support a rich variety of plants and animals, and they are important recreation areas. Composition changes in these forests could adversely affect diversity and recreation.
- The Appalachian spruce-fir forests are already threatened by air pollution (acid rain and ground-level ozone) and exotic pests (hemlock wooly adelgid). Warmer and drier conditions could result in significant loss of red spruce forests as conditions suitable for their growth decline.
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 North Carolina in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.
CO2: How Does Your State Rank?
North Carolina is the highest emitter of C02 of all 50 states and the most populous.
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.
North Carolina participates in the following:
Eastern Climate Registry (ECR) (Observer)
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.
