气候变化或使美国南方收入减少20%

一项新研究显示，如果不大幅减少温室气体排放，到21世纪末美国南部经济就有可能因为气候变化而遭到全面打击。

由于南部有许多已经是美国最贫困的地区，上述情况将进一步加剧仍在扩大的贫富差距。

来自芝加哥大学、罗格斯大学等方面的研究者借助100多项气候研究产生的大数据得出结论说，墨西哥湾沿岸各州，比如佛罗里达和路易斯安那，将面临最严重的海平面上升以及暴风雨灾害。某些地区的收入水平将因此永久性下降20%。

这些研究者指出，如果不采取措施应对气候变化，其他南方州的极端高温天气将增加暴力犯罪、空调使用开支以及整体死亡人数。得克萨斯、阿肯色、俄克拉荷马、密西西比、阿拉巴马以及乔治亚也将受到最严重的影响。

同时，灾害影响的范围可能不仅仅限于南方。

该研究报告联合撰写人、芝加哥大学学者阿米尔·吉纳在一篇新闻稿中表示：“美国中西部遭受的农业损失可能类似于20世纪30年代的严重沙尘暴。”

吉纳所说的那次沙尘暴源于农用土地的过度开发，它仍是美国历史上最严重的人为生态灾难。沙尘暴造成的破坏在几年时间内得到了控制，而扭转气候变化的影响则要困难得多。（财富中文网）

译者：Charlie

审稿：夏林

Without a significant reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, the southern portion of the United States will likely suffer broad economic devastation from the effects of climate change by the end of the 21st century, according to a new study.

Because many of those regions are already the poorest in the U.S., the effects would further heighten already rising income inequality.

Researchers from institutions including the University of Chicago and Rutgers, using large data sets culled from more than 100 climate studies, concluded that Gulf Coast states such as Florida and Louisiana will be exposed to the most severe sea level rise and storm surges. Those conditions could result in permanent 20% declines in incomes in some areas.

Without action on climate, other southern states will see extreme heat that the researchers say will increase violent crime, air conditioning costs, and overall mortality. Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia will also be among the states most severely impacted.

The south, though, would not be alone in enduring adverse effects.

"Here in the Midwest," University of Chicago coauthor Amir Jina said in a news release, "we may see agricultural losses similar to the Dustbowl of the 1930s."

That catastrophe, caused by agricultural overdevelopment, remains the worst human-caused ecological disaster in U.S. history. The ravages of the Dust Bowl were controlled within a few years, but the effects of climate change would be much more difficult to reverse.