Wisconsin faces a $16.7 billion bill to protect communities from Big Oil’s climate destruction

Wisconsin communities face a massive bill of at least $16.7 billion to protect residents and infrastructure from the worsening impacts of climate change through 2040.

That’s the finding of CCI’s latest study, “Confronting Wisconsin’s Climate Costs: At Least $16.7 Billion to Protect Communities from Climate Change through 2040.” In collaboration with Resilient Analytics and Scioto Analysis, we calculated some of what it will cost Wisconsin taxpayers to protect residents and infrastructure from hotter temperatures, increasing precipitation, coastal erosion, and climate-induced public health threats. 

From dangerous heat that forces students out of the classroom to more frequent floods that wreak havoc on residents’ homes and wallets, Wisconsin communities are already feeling the effects of climate change, and it’s more important than ever for local governments to invest in a growing range of climate adaptation and resilience projects.

However, that work will come with a hefty price tag. Even under our conservative estimate, future climate costs could strain Wisconsin’s municipal budgets and force difficult choices that impact people’s daily lives. The yearly costs of just seven of the nine adaptation measures analyzed in the report will account for more than half of the annual budget for the Public Works Department in communities such as Oshkosh (104%), Kenosha (75%), Milwaukee (72%), and Sheboygan (58%).

These costs will also fall inequitably across communities. Municipalities with “high racial minority areas” — defined as areas where more than 20% of the population are people of color and/or Hispanic white — will face much higher average per capita costs to increase stormwater drainage capacity ($2,464) to adapt to increased rainfall compared to the statewide municipal average ($1,579). 

Across the country, local governments are paying for the vast majority of climate adaptation and resilience measures. Taxpayers in Wisconsin are no exception, and as the impacts of climate change grow more destructive, the need for these measures will only become more acute.

A more just alternative is to make the polluters most responsible for the climate crisis pay their fair share of the costs facing Wisconsin communities. Fossil fuel companies knew decades ago that their products were directly contributing to climate change. But instead of sounding the alarm or changing their business models, oil companies notoriously deceived the public and policymakers about the science in an effort to protect their massive profits — and there is growing evidence that the industry’s deception continues today. 

It’s only fair that major polluters that knowingly caused and profited from the climate crisis — and then lied about it — pay their share of the resulting costs. Across the country, a growing number of state and local governments have filed lawsuits to hold oil majors accountable for their climate deception. The Midwest has seen a wave of climate accountability actions, including the State of Minnesota and City of Chicago suing oil companies for their climate lies, and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announcing her intent to sue Big Oil this year. 

Courts play a key role in our democracy, and Wisconsin leaders have an opportunity to take bold action to ensure their residents aren’t left to foot these bills alone. Similar to other local and state governments across the country, Wisconsin can pursue accountability through the courts and demand that polluters pay their fair share of the crisis they imposed on these communities. A new poll from Data for Progress and CCI shows that 63% of Wisconsin voters support suing oil and gas companies to make them pay their fair share of climate costs.

We’re in a climate crisis because Big Oil companies lied about their products; it’s only right that they pay their fair share of the costs they have imposed on communities.