Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania

Below are some of the potential impacts:

• By 2100 temperatures in Pennsylvania could increase by about 4°F (with a range of 2-9°F), slightly less in summer and fall, and slightly more in winter and spring. 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 about 10% in spring, by about 20% in winter and summer, and by as much as 50% in the fall. Although it is not clear how severe storms would change, an increase in the frequency and intensity of summer thunderstorms is possible.
• A preliminary modeling study of the Midwest, which included the area around Pittsburgh, found that a 4°F warming, with no other change in weather or emissions, could increase concentrations of ozone, a major component of smog, by as much as 8%. Currently, ground-level ozone concentrations exceed national ozone health standards in several areas throughout the state, with the Philadelphia area classified as a “severe” nonattainment area for ozone. Ground-level ozone has been shown to aggravate respiratory illnesses such as asthma, reduce existing lung function, and induce respiratory inflammation.
• Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River drains much of the eastern two-thirds of the state, and the Allegheny and the upper Ohio rivers drain most of the western third. A warmer climate would lead to earlier spring snowmelt, and could result in higher streamflows in winter and spring and lower streamflows in summer and fall. However, changes in rainfall also could have significant effects on streamflow and runoff and, if precipitation increases in winter or summer this could offset losses from increased evaporation, but also could lead to increased flood risk. Some of the most intense flooding on record in the United States has occurred in Pennsylvania.
• With changes in climate, the extent of forested areas in Pennsylvania could change little or decline by as much as 15-25%. However, the types of trees dominating Pennsylvania forests and woodlands are likely to change. The maple, beech, and birch forests found in northern Pennsylvania would retreat northward. Forest areas would become dominated by oak, ash, hickory, and pine, and the brilliant autumn foliage associated with maples would be diminished. As a result, the character of forests in Pennsylvania may change.
• Climate change could adversely affect ecosystems such as the Erie National Wildlife Refuge and French Creek, which flows for 117 miles through northwestern Pennsylvania. This area provides habitat for approximately 70 species of fish and 25 species of freshwater mussels. Many of the aquatic species in French Creek (for example, the clubshell mussel) are already endangered. The refuge system also provides important habitat for birds, including the threatened bald eagle.

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

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

Pennsylvania 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

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

Pennsylvania participates in the following:

Eastern Climate Registry (ECR)

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) (Observer)

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Your Impact

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