Future Wildfires and Flooding: Quantifying Increased Likelihood Across the United States

From my latest in EHP:

The researchers compared flood- and smoke-exposure projections between two climate scenarios: a “moderate” projected warming of approximately 2°C, and a “high” warming of 4°C, which corresponds with atmospheric carbon dioxide levels of roughly 940 ppm. 

They estimated that in both 2050 and 2090, an additional one-third of the country’s population will live in areas affected by larger and more frequent inland flooding under the 4° versus 2° warming trajectory. 

They also estimated that nearly 10 million more people will be exposed to smoke in 2090 under the high- versus moderate-warming scenario. This includes 1 million children aged 4 and younger, and 1.7 million people aged 65 and older. Both groups are considered particularly susceptible to the harmful impacts of smoke.

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