Floods and fires: South Carolina faces ‘elevated’ risk from climate change, study says
South Carolina has seen record floods, hurricanes and natural disasters displace thousands across the state. According to a study commissioned by Safe Home, the Palmetto State faces the second highest threat from climate change.
The study looked at types of disasters that could become more common if the earth’s average temperatures keep increasing. These included extreme heat, coastal flooding, in-land flooding, drought and wildfires.
South Carolina is at an elevated risk for all the categories except for drought. The report said that nearly 5 percent of the state has been affected by coastal flooding. Four percent are at an elevated risk for in-land flooding. And nearly half the state is at an elevated risk for fires compared to elsewhere in the country.
The states with the most risk were typically in the south and along the coast with Florida coming in first.
Elevated risk means the state is already experiencing some of this issues, and it is possible they could get worse into the future. Safe Home used data from Climate Central, a nonprofit group of climate experts, to influence its study.
The main conclusion of the report was that in the coming decades the United States must learn to cope with climate change. The study said while most Americans believe climate change is a threat, the solutions remain highly politicized.
“The reality is no American will be able to completely escape the real and everyday effects of human-induced climate change,” the study states.
In South Carolina and Horry County, the government is compiling disaster and flood mitigation plans. A key element of this is to create plans to keep residents out of harms way in future disasters.
“I believe there is more talent per square inch in South Carolina than anywhere in the world,” the governor said during a November meeting. “We have to be good ancestors and now is our opportunity.”
