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Discussions about climate change typically focus on fossil fuels as one of the key causes of global warming. But experts also point out that crucial energy infrastructure in coastal areas could be hit hard by global warming as the oceans rise and severe storms become more frequent.
Changes in the weather could disrupt oil and natural gas supplies, causing significant spikes in the prices of electricity and gasoline. The potential problems were discussed at length during a recent hearing organized by the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Energy infrastructure in the US Gulf of Mexico and the low-lying onshore US Gulf Coast region appears to be particularly vulnerable to the risks associated with climate change. No other regions of the US have such a large concentration of oil and gas pipelines, gas-processing plants and storage facilities.
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