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US. GIoball CI °Harm^ wean,::[° IPirogirarrr <br />• A precipitous decline of wetland- dependent <br />coastal fish and shellfish populations due to the <br />rapid loss of coastal marsh."' <br />Quality of life will be affected by <br />increasing heat stress, water scarcity, <br />severe weather events, and <br />availability of insura i <br />at-risk <br />Over the past century, the southeastern "sunbelt" <br />has attracted people, industry, and investment. The <br />Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States <br />population of Florida more than doubled during <br />the past three decades, and growth rates in most <br />other southeastern states were in the range of 45 to <br />75 percent (see population map, page 55). Future <br />population growth and the quality of life for exist- <br />ing residents is likely to be affected by the many <br />challenges associated with climate change, such as <br />reduced insurance availability, increased insurance <br />cost, and increases in water scarcity, sea -level rise, <br />extreme weather events, and heat stress. Some of <br />these problems, such as increasing heat and declin- <br />ing air quality, will be especially acute in cities. <br />116 <br />