By Joanna Prisco, for Global Citizen

Florida and Texas are the two US states expected to take the biggest economic hit from climate change, according to a new report.

Researchers for a study commissioned by Science magazine determined that the two states are likely to lose a combined $200 billion in gross domestic product (GDP), due to the future impact of “hurricanes, storm surges, changes in agricultural yields, changing electricity demands, changes in mortality rates, changes to the labor supply, rising sea levels and rising crime rates.”

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California, which recently suffered a severe drought and devastating wildfires, came in third place at an expected impact of $59.6 billion. Meanwhile, New York, still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, landed in fourth place with estimated losses of $54.7 billion.

The study arrives during a tenuous time in the US, as regards climate change. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement could stunt efforts to mitigate the future impact of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. 

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But a recent financial commitment by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to donate $4.5 million of his own money to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, which helps other countries implement their Paris Agreement commitments, is intended to help activists stay the course.

Global Citizen campaigns on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, and climate action is goal number 13. You can join us and take action on this issue here

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Florida, Texas Will Take Biggest Economic Hit from Climate Change, Study Says