Climate Risks in Montana

Montana

The changing climate poses many risks for people, the environment and the economy. This measure aims to capture populations that are disproportionately impacted by issues stemming from the following climate-related events:

• Agricultural losses from natural hazards.
• Building value losses from natural hazards.
• Deaths from natural hazards.
• Projected property flood risk.
• Projected wildfire exposure.

Avalanches, coastal flooding, cold waves, droughts, hail, heat waves, hurricanes, ice storms, landslides, riverine flooding, strong winds, tornadoes, wildfires and winter weather are natural hazards that can lead to loss of property and life.

The agricultural sector is sensitive to the effects of weather and climate. Climate change affects crops and livestock; changes in temperature and rainfall can change the timing of growing seasons, and increasing frequencies of heavy precipitation can cause soil erosion and deplete nutrients. 

Severe weather events add additional stress to America’s already struggling infrastructure system — for example, extreme precipitation can cause dam failures and bridge washouts. The threat of climate change to infrastructure varies by region but includes high tide flooding in coastal regions and wildfires in the West.

Climate change negatively impacts the health of Americans, and it is projected to worsen. Extreme weather events can put people at higher risk of heat-related illness and infectious diseases; they can also negatively impact mental well-being. There were more than 500 weather fatalities in the United States in 2023.

The rising temperatures and extended droughts brought on by climate change have increased the risk of wildfires in the western U.S. in recent decades. Wildfire smoke is associated with many negative health effects, including coughing, wheezing, reduced lung function, bronchitis, stroke and heart failure. 

As storms and floods continue to increase in severity and frequency, more areas will be prone to flooding and the resulting damage. A 2022 study estimated that flood losses cost the U.S. $32.1 billion annually, and are projected to rise to $40.6 billion a year by 2050.

A recent report by Deloitte Economics Institute found that over the last 50 years, climate change has cost the United States $1.4 trillion in losses due to weather, climate and water hazards, and failing to take sufficient action could cost the U.S. economy $14.5 trillion over the next 50 years.

Certain vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected by climate change, including pregnant women, children, older adults, people with disabilities, people living in poverty and people of color. 

Black, Hispanic and Latino individuals in the U.S. face higher exposure to the harmful effects of climate change due to where many of them live and work. Low-income and racial/ethnic minority populations are more likely to live in areas with the highest projected increases in temperature mortality (deaths from extreme heat or cold weather) due to climate change effects.

Studies have revealed racial disparities linked to climate change in areas such as mortality, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, mental health and heat-related illnesses. Researchers anticipate that climate change will continue to increase existing racial disparities in health.

Tackling climate change and its risks requires a two-pronged approach: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions to slow down climate change, while adaptation involves adjusting to current or future climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists several strategies to reduce the impact of climate change on the built environment, such as incorporating green infrastructure, as well as strategies to reduce the impact of climate change on agriculture. Climate-smart farming practices include planting cover crops, reducing runoff and boosting crop resistance. Additionally, the EPA offers region-specific Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans along with an interactive web tool that allows users to find resources tailored to their region and specific issues. 

Several states have made efforts to reduce the impact of climate change by implementing cap-and-trade programs, promoting reliance on renewable energy sources for electricity and enacting clean vehicle policies. Adopting new technologies like wind power, solar power or biofuels, developing chemical means for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and changing land use to store CO2 in plants, trees and soils can help reduce greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has implemented multiple initiatives as part of its strategic plan for improving health equity, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published disaster planning toolkits and other behavioral health plans for vulnerable populations and communities with limited access to resources.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives to promote healthier environments, including:

• Reducing diseases and deaths related to heat.
• Reducing the number of days people are exposed to unhealthy air. 
• Reducing the amount of toxic pollutants released into the environment.

The federal government continues to work with global partners to reach the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As of 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia have introduced specific greenhouse gas emission targets, and 33 states have a plan in place or are currently updating their plan to meet climate-related goals.

Berberian, Alique G., David J. X. Gonzalez, and Lara J. Cushing. “Racial Disparities in Climate Change-Related Health Effects in the United States.” Current Environmental Health Reports 9, no. 3 (May 28, 2022): 451–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-022-00360-w.

EPA. “Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 2021. https://www.epa.gov/cira/social-vulnerability-report.

Hayden, Mary H., Paul J. Schramm, Charles B. Beard, Jesse E. Bell, Aaron S. Bernstein, Ashley Bieniek-Tobasco, Nikki Cooley, et al. “Chapter 15: Human Health.” In Fifth National Climate Assessment, edited by Allison R. Crimmins, Christopher W. Avery, David R. Easterling, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Brooke C. Stewart, and Thomas K. Maycock. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2023. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH15.

Philip, Pradeep, Claire Ibrahim, and Cedric Hodges. “The Turning Point: A New Economic Climate in the United States.” Deloitte Economics Institute, January 2022. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-the-turning-point-a-new-economic-climate-in-the-united-states-january-2022.pdf.

Wasley, Emily, Travis A. Dahl, Caitlin F. Simpson, Laura West Fischer, Jennifer F. Helgeson, Melissa A. Kenney, Adam Parris, A.R. Siders, Eric Tate, and Nicola Ulibarri. “Chapter 31: Adaptation.” In Fifth National Climate Assessment, edited by Allison R. Crimmins, Christopher W. Avery, David R. Easterling, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Brooke C. Stewart, and Thomas K. Maycock. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2023. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH31.

Wing, Oliver E. J., William Lehman, Paul D. Bates, Christopher C. Sampson, Niall Quinn, Andrew M. Smith, Jeffrey C. Neal, Jeremy R. Porter, and Carolyn Kousky. “Inequitable Patterns of US Flood Risk in the Anthropocene.” Nature Climate Change 12, no. 2 (February 2022): 156–62. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01265-6.