Climate bill crisis

A NONPARTISAN federal watchdog says climate change is already costing US taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and droughts become more frequent in the coming decades.

A Government Accountability Office report released yesterday said the Federal Government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance programs and losses from flood and crop insurance.

That tally does not include the massive toll from this year’s three major hurricanes and wildfires, expected to be among the most costly in the nation’s history.

The report predicts these costs will only grow in the future, potentially reaching a budget busting $35 billion a year by 2050.

The report says the Federal Government doesn’t effectively plan for these recurring costs, classifying the financial exposure from climate-related costs as “high risk.”

“The Federal Government has not undertaken strategic government-wide planning to manage climate risks by using information on the potential economic effects of climate change to identify significant risks and craft appropriate federal responses,” the study said.

“By using such information, the Federal Government could take the initial step in establishing government-wide priorities to manage such risks.”

The report’s authors reviewed 30 government and academic studies examining the national and regional impacts of climate change.

President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax, announcing his intent to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accords and revoke Obama-era initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

He has also appointed officials such as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, all of whom question the scientific consensus that carbon released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of global warming.