SOUTH DAKOTA

As oil prices continue to rise, South Dakota’s economy is ailing. Dependence on oil and other fossil fuels is also leading to increased global warming. The economic cost of continued inaction on global warming is staggering. If we fail to take comprehensive action to combat global warming, South Dakota could lose as many as 3,478 jobs. (i)

In South Dakota, especially, global warming threatens agriculture. Drier, hotter conditions mean farmers will struggle to cultivate crops and maintain livestock yields, forcing them to drain already diminished wetlands for fresh water. (ii)

At the root of both of these problems—a slowing economy and a warming planet—is our dependence on fossil fuels. South Dakota currently gets much of its power from coal. (iii)

By investing in renewable energy, we can create thousands of good new jobs, cut our dependence on oil, and solve global warming.

Right now, South Dakota has the potential to produce almost 170 times as much energy as it needs from renewables! (iv)

With strong leadership on renewable energy and energy efficiency, we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and work toward solving global warming.

SOURCES:

i. http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/site/c.enKIITNpEiG/b.3417259/

ii. http://www.nextgenerationearth.org/usstates/statelist/

iii. http://getenergyactive.org/fuel/state.htm

iv. http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/Plugging_In_Renewable_Energy.pdf