LETTER TO THE - EDITOR
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Increasing Climate Change
To the editor: Did you know that the Earth’s hottest ten years since reliable measured records began in the 1800s have all been since 2014? Climate change is accelerating and it is critical to try to slow the rate to give humans, plants and animals more time to adapt.
Despite the efforts of some politicians and companies to hide the truth, the science of human induced climate change has been well understood since the 1980s. Primarily from the burning of coal, oil, and gas, the levels of carbon dioxide since 1750 in the atmosphere have risen by about 50%. Its concentration now is close to 425 parts per million, the highest in about 3 million years according to ice core samples and other natural indicators. Carbon based gases prevent some of the infrared heat emitted from Earth’s surface from reaching space. The planet has warmed by about 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels from this process, which was a threshold to avoid exceeding from the Paris Climate Agreement a decade ago. However, it appears we are heading for at least 2.0 or 2.5 Celsius by the end of this century due to clean energy not yet keeping up pace with the world’s growing energy demands.
You’ve heard about impacts like sea level rise, coastal flooding, hurricanes intensifying at record rates, and more intense droughts and heat waves. For example, Phoenix had an absurd record of 113 days in a row this summer with high temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Their longest stretch before that was only 76 days. Things that were once unthinkable are becoming common. At the current rate of change, Wisconsin could have a climate similar to current day St. Louis by the end of the century. This will mean longer, much hotter summers, which will cause us to spend more money on air conditioning and make it harder on outdoor workers, as well as dairy and livestock herds. Some of the animals we currently hunt and fish may not thrive here anymore. The economic loss to recreation and tourism from warmer winters with less reliable snow and ice has been felt for many years already around here and will get even more drastic.
Rainfall is becoming more extreme as the warmer air holds more water vapor. This was well predicted by climate models 20 years ago. For instance, in October, parts of Spain had 19 inches of rain (a whole year’s worth for them) in eight hours with the resulting flash flood killing over 200 people. Try to imagine the catastrophic damage to the land, buildings, roads, and bridges if our state was hit with 20 plus inches of rain in a day. How many of us and our loved ones would be killed outright, not to mention animals? It is more likely to happen with every tenth of a degree our planet warms.
As disasters pile up around the region, insurance costs will skyrocket. The increased volatility of rainfall patterns will make field work and crop growing conditions more difficult. In between the wet bursts, prolonged intense droughts will increase wildfires destroying valuable timber and property. New insects and diseases will move in, further threatening our crops and forests. There will be more days of poor air quality which will take a toll on our health. The list could go on and on.
Please seek out objective scientific data sources on climate change such as The American Meteorological Society, The Wisconsin State Climatology Office, IPCC, WMO, NASA, NOAA, and the journal Nature. Let’s keep trying to lower our carbon footprint on an individual and community level and the good news is that there are very simple options already available that can save us money in the process! Private industry and the energy sector are already working to make positive changes. However, they need the bi-partisan support of our state and national governments to be even more effective. For example, the Republican Governor of Wyoming, Mark Gordon, is doing an excellent job of integrating wind and solar energy into his state with great benefits for all. Contact your local elected officials all the way up to the president and press them to work urgently on sound climate policy. Even if that means fossil fuels can’t be completely phased out, our leaders can still provide funding and a good framework for carbon capture techniques, research, and adaptation strategies here and abroad to grow. You and I still have the power to do our part to change the trajectory of this crisis. Seize the chance because we are late in the game already.
Tony Schumacher, Owner & Chief Meteorologist Great Lakes Weather Service, LLC
Blood Drive
To the Editor: The holiday season is here. Won’t you consider giving a meaningful gift this holiday season that you don’t need to wrap. Give the gift of life – donate blood with the Red Cross during the Abbotsford Colby Community Blood Drive at the Abbotsford City Hall on Friday, Dec. 27. All who come to give December 16 – January 3 will receive an exclusive Red Cross longsleeved T-shirt (while supplies last). Just to restate the pertinent information: Friday, Dec. 27 at Abbotsford City Hall from 12 - 5 p.m. Please call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood. org and enter 32222 to schedule an appointment. We would love to see you!
Karen LaPine Abbotsford Lions/blood drive coordinator
Climate Chaos
To the Editor: During the campaign of 2024, we were reminded by some candidates that there is more that we have in common with each other than what separates us. For instance, take the climate chaos that the world, even our immediate world, is experiencing. When these events affect us, or someone we know, it becomes very important in our daily lives. But even if the weather is not a threat to us, we tune in every day to see what the weather will bring. We pay attention to what the weather person tells us as we plan our daily, weekly, even monthly activities: the farmer who makes planting and harvesting timelines; the hunter who plans for hunting season; the fisherman who goes out on Lake Superior to fish; the vacationer who hopes for the best weather; local gardeners who keep track of early frost warnings and rainfall forecasts; and who can forget as children when we hoped for a huge snowfall that would cancel school! We all depend on our climate’s weather cycles to give us the best outcomes for our plans.
Over the past year, more and more climate catastrophes are being explained, in part, because of climate change. Even our trusted weather men and women on our local television stations are using the “climate change” phrase! We need to understand why weather patterns are changing, and what we might do to help deal with this reality. My advice is to search out responsible sources and organizations that are focused on this issue. Use the internet to find a wealth of well researched articles and responsible organizations. Find those that you trust to give you truthful information and ideas on how you can become involved, and then do something! In our area, there is a very active Citizens Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan group that keeps its members and our elected representatives informed of the latest ways to remediate, hopefully, the causes for our climate chaos. I do this because: “Mother Nature Always Bats Last.”
Charlotte Calhoun, Bayfield
