Arkansas

A geographically diverse state in the southern United States, Arkansas depends heavily upon lumber and wood products, agriculture, forestry, and tourism for its economic stability. All of these sectors are particularly vulnerable to [Page 76]the changes global warming can produce in the state's ecosystem. Arkansans have been slow to respond to threats to the state's environment, but in recent years both city and state governments have begun implementing strategies designed to address the problem. A 2001 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that temperatures in Arkansas could increase from 1 to 5 degrees F (.5 to 2.7 degrees C) by 2100. Water for irrigation of crops and maintenance of eastern Arkansas's fish farms is vital to the state's economy. The recent decrease in groundwater levels from heavy water demands and the compromising of freshwater aquifers by seepage of saline water from underlying rocks have already driven farmers to drill deeper wells and consider the use of surface waters from the Arkansas and other rivers within the state. Such problems are likely to worsen with warmer temperatures, and agriculture is not the only concern. Already, dry tributaries of the Arkansas River threaten the summer flow upon which fishing, boating, and canoeing depend.

Even small increases in temperature could cause 40 to 60 percent of the state's forests to be supplanted by grasslands, a change that could in turn mean loss of wildlife and habitat. The timber business would suffer as a result, as would a $1.2 billion tourism industry that consists largely of wildlife aficionados, hunters, and fishing enthusiasts. The loss of breeding ground for the state's birds, some of them already endangered species, is a pressing concern. In the Big Woods of east Arkansas in 2004, a research team sighted the ivory-billed woodpecker, believed to be extinct for more than half a century. Water quality could also be affected by warmer summers, and low oxygen combined with increases in nitrogen and phosphorus could threaten wetlands.

Although Arkansas meets all federal air quality standards for criteria pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, and lead, and its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions place it 33rd among the 50 states, Arkansas ranks 20th (2008 data) in per-capita emissions. Like other states that have grown economically, Arkansas's percentage of CO2 emissions has risen comparatively. Between 1990 and 2001, the state's economy grew 49 percent and CO2 emissions rose 42 percent. Power companies and the transportation sector are the greatest offenders. Despite these statistics, Arkansas has a poor record of acting to implement solutions. However, the state has enjoyed some success in recycling solid wastes and in implementing building codes that encourage energy efficiency. More recently, the state has encouraged the use of solar energy. In 2005, the Eastman Chemical Company near Batesville, Arkansas, became the first plant in the state to produce biodiesel from soybean oil. Researchers suggest that Arkansas's most promising experiment with biofuels may be processing cellulosic ethanol in conjunction with synthetic fuels from large lignite reserves. The state has also provided tax credits designed to encourage the use of biofuels.

...