Power plants across the country are at increased risk of temporary shutdown and reduced power generation as temperatures and sea levels continue to rise and water becomes less available, the Department of Energy said Thursday.
By 2030, there will be nearly $1 trillion in energy assets in the Gulf region alone at risk from increasingly costly extreme hurricanes and sea-level rises, according to the Energy Department report on the impact of climate change on energy infrastructure.
"As President Obama said in his speech last month, climate change is happening," said spokeswoman April Saylor in a statement. "As climate change makes the weather more extreme, we have a moral obligation to prepare the country for its effects."
The report calls on federal, state and local governments to more urgently prepare critical infrastructure - particularly coal, natural gas and nuclear plants - for the compounded risks posed by floods, storms, wildfires and droughts.