Spring Break
Global Warming lectures continue
Alexandria Phillips
Issue date: 2/13/09 Section: News
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"The climate change discussion has been primarily focused on the level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere," Johnson, Pennsylvania director of Conservation Science for the Nature Conservancy, said. "This must continue, but we also need to think about the fact that some amount of climate change is already inevitable and irrepressible, even if we are successful at dramatically reducing emissions."
Klockner said climate change threatens to undo work done in the past if we do not get a handle on greenhouse gas emissions. Sea levels are expected to rise .18 to .59 meters over the next one hundred years. Furthermore, big areas like Florida and Louisiana are currently affected by sea levels rising, according to his presentation.
The Nature Conservancy, based in Arlington Va., has spent the last fifty years setting aside important parts of nature across the country, according to Klockner, director of Global Climate Change Strategies.
Johnson encourages not to just adapting, but pair adapting with mitigation.
Spring is arriving sooner, summers are growing hotter and winters are receiving less snow, according to Johnson.
Pennsylvania can expect average temperatures to increase by 4 to 8 degrees above historic levels during winter and 7 to 11 degrees in the summer, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Pennsylvania's forests are also vulnerable to temperature shifts. Losing species like sugar maple and hemlock could happen rapidly, valuable hardwoods could be at risk, and new and increased pest invasions could further weaken the health and value of the state's vast and valuable woodlands.
Nature Conservancy scientists say the best course of action is to help nature help us. We can protect and restore habitats that limit and disperse floods, capture carbon emissions and prevent damaging soil erosion.
Scientists also have concerns about the Susquehanna River that runs from North Central Pennsylvania through Harrisburg to the Chesapeake Bay. It is already one of the most flood prone rivers in the East, and we can anticipate a worsening of this as precipitation and storm events increase, according to the presentation.
Nature Conservancy scientists have created Climate Wizard, a web-based tool that can predict precipitation and temperature changes at the local level. Available for anyone to use, Climate Wizard can help land and water managers, government officials, and educators understand the changes likely to come, their likely impacts for agriculture, flood control, forestry and the like, and potential adaptive strategies.
Johnson encourages students to inform themselves about the climate change, start communicating with policy makers about the issue and volunteer.
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