Donovan Power News Today

Failure to address climate change’s effects could cost Montana’s recreation and tourism economy more than 8,800 jobs and $263 million in labor earnings by 2040, a recently released report predicted.

When Carli Johnson returned to Gardiner after spending the summer of 2022 away from rafting, she found that much of the Yellowstone River she had grown familiar with had changed.

The effects of climate change are already affecting Montana’s outdoor recreation, but with predictions of even more heat and drought by 2050, the outdoor recreation industry stands to lose thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in earnings, according to a new report.

The most heavily impacted sectors will be Glacier and Yellowstone national park visitation, the study said, with a loss of more than 3,800 jobs and $107 million in labor earnings.