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How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Rhode Island
Vulnerable Birds in Rhode Island
Highly and moderately vulnerable birds may lose more than half of their current range—the geographic area where they live—as they are forced to search for suitable habitat and climate conditions elsewhere.
Rhode Island
| Flyway | Atlantic Flyway |
| State Brief | Download [PDF] |
Below, find out which of the birds that nest or spend the winter in your area are most vulnerable across their entire range. Some birds may lose range outside of your state, making the protection of their current habitat in your area even more important.
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How will the Spotted Sandpiper's range be affected in Rhode Island?
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect birds' ability to find food and reproduce, which over time impacts local populations, and ultimately continent-wide populations, too. Some species may even go extinct in your state if they cannot find the conditions they need to survive and raise their young.
Select a warming scenario to see how this species’ range will change under increased global temperatures.
Reducing warming makes many types of birds found in Rhode Island less vulnerable.
In order to hold warming steady, we must act now to reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere and limit warming to 1.5 degrees. We must reduce our carbon emissions and also absorb what is produced through natural solutions like reforestation or with technology that removes carbon from the air.
Click the three different warming scenarios to explore how increased warming puts more species in Rhode Island at risk.
Rhode Island's Birds and Habitats
Along Rhode Island’s southern coast, Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge is home to the large saltwater lagoon Ningret Pond, an important habitat for migratory birds and waterfowl in winter and shorebirds in spring and fall. Block Island, the state’s most famous birding destination, lies 10 miles offshore and attracts waterfowl, loons, and dozens of migrating songbird species including Ruby-crowned Kinglets. At Sachuest Point, you can reliably find the Harlequin Ducks, other sea ducks, and alcids along its rocky shorelines.
Climate Policy in Rhode Island
Electricity Generation Breakdown
4.9%
RENEWABLE
RENEWABLE
2 % Wind
2.7 % Biomass
.2 % Solar
2.7 % Biomass
.2 % Solar
95.1%
FOSSIL FUEL
FOSSIL FUEL
94.3 % Natural Gas
.8 % Petroleum
.8 % Petroleum
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets
10%
BELOW 1990
BELOW 1990
levels by 2020
45%
BELOW 1990
BELOW 1990
levels by 2035
Renewable Portfolio Standard
38.8%
BY 2035
BY 2035
Member of the US
Climate Alliance?
No
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
In 2018, a suite of clean energy legislation expanded net metering and extended the renewable energy growth program. The 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island is the first operational offshore wind facility in the nation.
Rhode Island is a participant in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade program in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States that aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Rhode Island
Rhode Island temperatures have increased 3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900, accelerating snowmelt and exacerbating high-rainfall storms. Sea levels have risen up to five inches since 1956 and could rise another inch in the next eight years, eroding beaches and wetlands, and increasing damages from coastal flooding.
The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk harm people, too. Hover over or tap an area on the map to see specific threats that will affect that area as warming increases.