At Least $16.7 Billion to Protect Communities from Climate Change through 2040

The Center for Climate Integrity empowers communities CENTER and elected officials with the knowledge and tools they need FOR CLIMATE to hold oil and gas corporations accountable for the massive INTEGRITY costs of climate change. [...] Figure 2: The total costs local governments face through 2040 to adapt to the worsening impacts of climate change in Wisconsin, by climate impact and by the government entity responsible for implementation.3 3 The increased precipitation adaptations are increasing stormwater drainage capacity, protecting rural communities from flooding, and bridge stabilization. [...] When analyzing the four climate adaptations where municipal, county, and state governments are all responsible for some of the costs — proactive road maintenance, bridge sta- bilization, cooling system installation, and changes in energy to heat and cool public buildings — municipalities bear the burden, taking on $4.34 billion, or about 70%, of the costs for those adaptations. [...] That is larger than Oshkosh’s 2023 total annual budget of $164 million, meaning the next 17 years of climate costs would cost the city the equivalent of an entire year’s budget.5 On an annual basis, protecting Oshkosh residents from the impacts of climate change would result in more than $10 million in new costs for the city per year if that spending is spread evenly over the next 17 years. [...] Climate Adaptation Explanation Taxpayer Appendix Impact Costs Increased Installing and Cost to install AC systems in 50% of public buildings Municipal, C.1 temperature upgrading heat- and upgrade AC systems in the remaining 50% of county, ing and cooling public buildings to cope with the need for increased state infrastructure.