Sen. Peters to hold Earth Day summit examining costs of climate change

How much does flooding and other environmental problems linked to climate change, such as this past flooding on the Grand River, cost taxpayers locally and nationally? (WKTV)

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

Michigan’s U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D), who is ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, will host a summit at Michigan State University on Earth Day to examine the rising costs to taxpayers from extreme weather and climate change.

The event, scheduled for Monday. April 22, at 10:30 a.m., in East Lansing, is open to the public and will be streamed live on Facebook.

“The Cost of Inaction: The Impacts of Climate Change and the Financial Burden on Taxpayers” will focus on the financial impacts of climate change on our national security, infrastructure, economy and public health, according to supplied material.

Sen. Peters will also announce a report with recommendations to help prevent further costs to taxpayers from the failure to prepare for and address damage from climate change.

“In recent years, communities in Michigan and across the country have seen a rise in extreme weather events driven by climate change that have cost taxpayers nearly half a trillion dollars in cleanup and recovery,” Sen. Peters said in supplied material. “The federal government must take action today to combat and prepare for the effects of climate change so that we can save Michigan taxpayers billions of dollars in the coming years and protect our planet for future generations.”

Michigan communities including Lansing, Houghton and the Detroit metro area have experienced several historic rainfall and severe flooding events in the last five years, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to roads, bridges, property and businesses, according to supplied material.

The summit follows a recent Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) High Risk List report, which identified a need for the federal government to address the risks associated with climate change in a fiscally responsible way.

The report concluded that, “to reduce its fiscal exposure, the federal government needs a cohesive strategic approach with strong leadership and the authority to manage risks across the entire range of related federal activities.” In particular, the report examined the direct costs and impact associated with climate change on national security, public health, infrastructure, small business and more.

Experts invited to the summit include: Rear Admiral David W. Titley, U.S. Navy (ret.), Professor of Practice in Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University; Director, Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk; Paul C. Ajegba, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation; Dr. Lorraine Cameron, Senior Environmental Epidemiologist, Michigan Climate and Health Adaption Program, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Maria Carmen Lemos, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan; and Jim MacInnes, CEO of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa.

The summit will take place at the Michigan State University Union, 49 Abbot Road. Public parking is available in the MSU garage located on Grand River Avenue. Additional public parking is available in the nearby East Lansing parking garages. Directions and maps for the MSU Union are available here.