People who saw the news today about a US surge in the release of air pollutants tied to climate change understand that this means growing health and safety risks to everyday life for everyday people right here in Wisconsin.
All made worse by Walker's contempt for science that his climate change denial and big business servitude have wrought.
It's reassuring that new WI Gov. Tony Evers' and DNR-Secretary designee Preston Cole's have committed to policy-making science, given the impacts a warming climate is likely already having, or will unload, on Wisconsin - - from risks to walleye stocks to repetitive flood damage and costs to the stink bugs' repulsive early wake-up call, and more.
I found this posting from the UW Sea Grant Institute valuable, relevant and ominous.
For example, think about the loss of half of the state's 2,700 trout streams.
Have a read, in part:
All made worse by Walker's contempt for science that his climate change denial and big business servitude have wrought.
It's reassuring that new WI Gov. Tony Evers' and DNR-Secretary designee Preston Cole's have committed to policy-making science, given the impacts a warming climate is likely already having, or will unload, on Wisconsin - - from risks to walleye stocks to repetitive flood damage and costs to the stink bugs' repulsive early wake-up call, and more.
I found this posting from the UW Sea Grant Institute valuable, relevant and ominous.
For example, think about the loss of half of the state's 2,700 trout streams.
WI angler, trout. DNR photo:
And there are plenty more non-partisan projections in the posting to mull over.Have a read, in part:
On the plus side, a warming climate during the first half of this century could mean lower winter heating costs, a longer frost-free growing season and better yields of some crops. It is also expected to improve forest growth, and enlarge resident populations of birds, warmwater fishes, reptiles and small mammals, especially nuisance animals like mice, bats, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons and opossums. Waterborne commerce will enjoy longer ice-free shipping seasons on the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River. Winter recreation may suffer, but summer recreation could enjoy a boom.
On the minus side, as the climate continues to warm, it will bring higher summer cooling costs, more frequent ozone alerts, and longer, more intense heat waves. Over time, the benefits of a warming climate for agriculture will likely be outweighed by the adverse effects of declining soil moisture and more frequent droughts, severe storm and erosion damage, and a northward invasion of various warm-climate crop and livestock pests and pathogens.
The need to irrigate crops and greater urban demands for water will strain groundwater supplies in some areas. Warmer, damp conditions will cause populations of disease-carrying insects to swell and spread, and outbreaks of infectious diseases like West Nile virus may increase.
Greater evaporation due to generally warmer temperatures and less winter ice cover are expected to cause Great Lakes water levels to decline several feet, threatening coastal drinking water supply systems as well as waterborne commerce, and causing shipping, dredging and harbor maintenance costs to rise. Barge and train traffic through the Upper Mississippi River Valley could be interrupted alternately by low summer-autumn stream flows and winter-spring floods. Warmer water temperatures and increased stormwater runoff will reduce the water quality of many inland lakes and rivers as well as Great Lakes coastal waters.
Longer, hotter, drier summers and increasing evaporation will result in warmer and shallower rivers, shrinking wetlands, and dried-up streams, flowages and wild rice beds. Algal blooms will create anoxic conditions for aquatic life in ponds and many lakes. These conditions will reduce the amount of suitable habitat available for trout and other cold-water fishes, amphibians and waterfowl.
A two-degree rise in temperature could wipe out half of Wisconsin’s 2,700 trout streams. Hot dry conditions, coupled with more frequent thunderstorms and lightning, will increase the chance of forest fires. Red pine, aspen and spruce trees will disappear from our northern forests.