Adapting to the sweeping effects of climate change will cost Los Angeles County and its 88 cities about $12.5 billion for projects that prevent flooding, wildfire damage and fatalities from extreme heat exposure and diseases, according to a report from the environmental watchdog group Center for Climate Integrity.
The study, “Los Angeles County’s Climate Cost Challenge,” released April 2 by the center, advocates such projects as applying coating that cools urban streets and reduces ambient air temperatures by up to 10 degrees; planting trees to expand the urban shade canopy; and building up shorelines to protect coastal homes and infrastructure from rising seas.
The study listed 13 areas for improvements and the cost for each, culminating in a total cost estimate through 2040 for cities and the county that will bust budgets and drain resources, the study predicted. They include:
• Better stormwater capture to prevent flooding ($4.3 billion) and shoreline abutments that protect homes and preserve beaches ($576 million).
• Adding cool pavements ($2.5 billion) and planting trees ($1.4 billion) to eliminate “heat islands,” particularly in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods where cooling will be three times more costly — due to the greater need — than in areas with a higher than average white population.
• Preventing fatalities and damage to structures and the environment from more intense wildfires ($919 million). The report emphasized creating buffer zones between homes and wildlands.
• Responding to upticks in childhood asthma and West Nile virus cases ($1.1 billion)
The cost breaks down to about $780 million per year to protect communities in L.A. County from extreme heat, above-average rainfall or droughts, wildfires, rising sea levels and related public health threats, the report stated.
“I look at this report as a down payment to get started, to prepare the cities for these impacts. The longer they wait, the more expensive…
Read the full article here
