What are Twin Cities area reporters saying? What should Twin Cities reporters be saying?
Articles: First article: ========= Evidence Is Clear That The Climate Is Changing Wisconsin State Journal :: FORUM :: B5 Sunday, June 20, 2004 Ron Seely Ever wonder what it would be like to live through global climate change? Well, it probably won't be like the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." It may be, however, a lot like recent weather with storm after powerful storm soaking Madison, turning back yards into jungles and causing mosquitoes to grow to the size of small birds. Recent publicity surrounding the movie seems to have made some people more curious about global climate change and what really may be in store. Though it is odd that it takes a disaster flick to bring it to the public's attention, I suppose it is better to be talking about the perils of climate change than not talking at all -- or trying to convince ourselves that the problem exists only in the minds of a bunch of kooky scientists. Of all the issues I've covered over the past several years, few have changed more than global climate change. For a long time, it was necessary as a reporter to make sure those who disagreed with the idea of climate change were represented in any story about the subject. That group, especially when it comes to scientists, has dwindled to almost zero. In fact, it would be inaccurate now for a reporter to equally represent those who disagree with climate change. They are in a very small minority. The science supporting climate change is overwhelming. And that science is coming from some very respected individuals, including UW-Madison limnologist John Magnuson and insect ecologist Richard Lindroth. Last year, Magnuson and Lindroth helped author a report for the Union of Concerned Scientists on exactly how life will change in Wisconsin as the climate warms. And while the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" used climate change to power an over-the-top disaster flick, the reality of what will happen is scary enough. An example? According to the report, Wisconsin summers by the year 2030 will more likely resemble those of current-day Arkansas. And the winter will feel like current-day Iowa. How much more of a disaster could there be than turning into Arkansas and Iowa? If that doesn't make you want to scream, nothing will. The rest of the report is equally scary. And, again, it is based on science. Researchers compiled the projections by combining 100 years of historical data for Wisconsin with the most recent computer models of the Earth's climate system. Imagine, for example, rainstorms such as those we've had recently coming so often that you hardly have time to dry out before the next monsoon hits. The frequency of heavy rainstorms, the report says, could be between 50 and 100 percent higher than today. Some other conclusions: * By the end of this century, temperatures will rise 6-11 degrees in winter and 8-18 degrees in the summer. * Reduced rainfall in the summer is likely to diminish the amount of water replenishing groundwater supplies. Small streams will dry up and wetlands will shrink. * Higher temperatures will increase the demand for air-conditioning and that, in turn, will increase the amounts of ground-level ozone causing a rise in asthma and other respiratory diseases. * More frequent storms and floods will cause greater property damage. * Cold-water species such as lake and brook trout will decline dramatically. * Winter recreation will practically disappear. * The state's Northwoods will change so dramatically that it will hardly be the Northwoods any more. Forests and spruce and hemlock and fir will shrink and other forest species will move north. For anybody who thinks of spring creeks full of trout and the cool northern forests when they think of Wisconsin, the report's depiction of climate change seems disastrous enough. It hardly takes tidal waves and another ice age to get the point across. Seely covers science and the environment. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=wsj:2004:06:20:376471:FORUM Second article, ============ AAAS News Release: Climate Experts Urge Immediate Action to Offset Impact of Global Warming American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS] http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0616climate.shtml "Governments and consumers in the United States and worldwide should take immediate steps to reduce the threat of global warming and to prepare for a future in which coastal flooding, reduced crop yields and elevated rates of climate-related illness are all but certain, top U.S. scientists said Tuesday." ... ... Please check out the AAAS website for the remainder of the AAAS News Release and the climate science presentations given last week, now available in pdf at the AAAS website. =========== For my posted updates on global warming see: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClimateArchive/ Pat Neuman Chanhassen, MN ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Metropolitan Issues Forum http://www.e-democracy.org/tcmetro Rules: Sign posts with real name. You may not post more than twice a day.
