Vermont

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 Vermont

Below are some of the potential impacts:

• Over the last century, the average temperature in Burlington, Vermont, has increased 0.4°F, and precipitation has increased by up to 5% in many parts of the state.
• By 2100 temperatures in Vermont could increase by 4°F (with a range of 2-9°F) in spring and 5°F (with a range of 2-10°F) in the other seasons. Precipitation is projected to show little change in spring, to increase by about 10% in summer and fall (with a range of 5-20%), and by 30% (with a range of 10-50%) in winter.
• The amount of precipitation on extreme wet or snowy days in winter is likely to increase. The frequency of extreme hot days in summer would increase because of the general warming trend. Although it is not clear how the severity of storms might be affected, an increase in the frequency and intensity of winter storms is possible.
• The eastern portion of Vermont is drained by the Connecticut River, which forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. The western half of the state is drained by tributaries that traverse the Green Mountains and flow into Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. These surface waters provide water for half of the state’s population, are an important source of water for industry and hydroelectric generation, and support recreation uses. Winter snow accumulation and spring snowmelt strongly affect all the state’s rivers. A warmer climate would lead to an earlier snowmelt, resulting in higher stream flows in winter and spring and lower stream flows in summer and fall.
• Warmer summer temperatures and longer summers could exacerbate water quality problems such as excessive growth of aquatic weeds in Lake Champlain and other lakes. Warmer water temperatures also reduce dissolved oxygen levels, adversely affecting fish habitat, and lower summer stream flows could reduce the ability of rivers to assimilate waste.
• Changes in the timing and accumulation of snow could affect skiing conditions in a number of ways, such as the timing and length of season and snow depth.
• In Vermont, production agriculture is a $440 million annual industry, three-fourths of which comes from livestock, mainly dairy operations. Very few of the farmed acres are irrigated. The major crops in the state are silage and hay. Yields of these crops and pasture could fall by as much as 39% under severe conditions as temperatures rise beyond the tolerance levels of the crop and are combined with increased stress from decreased soil moisture. Livestock and dairy production may not be affected, unless summer temperature rises significantly and conditions become significantly drier. Under these conditions, livestock gain less weight and pasture yields decline, limiting forage.

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

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

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

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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.

Vermont participates in the following:

Eastern Climate Registry (ECR)

New England Governors: Climate Change Action Plan (NEG-ECP)

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

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.