By Tia Nelson and Lewis Gilbert, April 13, 2008, stevenspointjournal.com
Guest Commentary

Think our record-setting winter pokes holes in the case for climate change? On the contrary: In a warming world, scientists tell us Wisconsin can expect a future of more weather extremes and variability, including heavy snow. And these effects won’t be caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases we generate now; they’re the after-effects of our lack of understanding going back at least a generation.

Now that we know better, we must act.

Today’s challenge involves both reducing (or mitigating) today’s greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to changes now under way from emissions going back decades. This Wednesday, in a lead-up to Earth Day, some of Wisconsin’s brightest minds will share what they know about mitigation and adaptation as they relate to energy security, health, agriculture, land use, transportation, water management, and natural resources. The day will conclude with a panel discussion of policy options. Everyone is welcome.

Wisconsin has generated considerable momentum on this important issue. Gov. Jim Doyle’s Task Force on Global Warming is expected to release its final recommendations next month, and the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord signed last November by the Midwestern Governors Association is an important piece in the mitigation puzzle.

The state Office of Energy Independence, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at UW-Madison and a growing number of successful business and agricultural enterprises also show tremendous promise in addressing the causes of climate change and creating new jobs. But even the most vigorous statewide response will not prevent consequences in the decades ahead. We’ll need to adapt to some of them.

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