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The Climate Corner

This is the final Climate Corner column of 2014 sponsored by the Climate Change Coalition of Door County. These columns seek to increase understanding and spur discussion of global warming’s impacts in hopes of inspiring action.

Key take-aways from this year’s columnists are:

1. Tia Nelson, executive secretary, Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, environmentalist and daughter of environmental icon, Gaylord Nelson: The health of our economy and environment are inextricably linked. Our fishing and timber industries depend on slowing global warming and adapting to the changes already occurring. Wisconsin needs to reclaim its environmental leadership. Businesses like Gundersen Health System in La Crosse are leading the way.

2. Kathy Kuntz, executive director, Cool Choices, Inc.: To do our part, we all need to change our behavior. Small changes made by millions, like unplugging computer chargers and installing LED lights, will make a huge difference. Kids are key. Our schools can make sustainable behaviors second nature. Wisconsin’s Green and Healthy Schools programs offer a great opportunity. Unfortunately, no Door County schools are participating so far.

3. Michael Strigel, executive director, Gathering Waters Conservancy, Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts: Climate change will affect the lands and waters that make Wisconsin special. Wisconsin’s land trusts protect those lands and can take a leadership role in addressing climate change. Door County is lucky to have two strong land trusts: The Ridges Sanctuary and the Door County Land Trust.

4. Keith Reopelle, senior policy director for Clean Wisconsin: The EPA’s proposed rules to limit emissions from coal plants will make a tremendous difference. Wisconsin can take steps necessary for a much cleaner energy system by using existing technologies and dramatically growing energy conservation programs.

5. Steve Hiniker, executive director, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin: Transportation is the second largest contributor to global warming. The good news is vehicles are becoming much more efficient, and we are driving less. There is a lot more we can do without inconvenience.

6. Bob Krumenaker, superintendent of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: Despite Washington gridlock, the National Park Service is studying the impacts of climate change on our priceless parks and taking action to adapt to current changes. The Apostle Islands park is working with neighboring communities to protect the Great Lakes.

7. Paul Robbins, director, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison: To confront climate change, we must move away from dry academic analyses and fruitless political debate and instead demonstrate the real impacts warming is having, and will have, on peoples’ lives. What do we value, and what do we want for our grandchildren?

8. Sean Dilweg, former Wisconsin insurance commissioner: The insurance industry views climate change as a real and important risk, particularly for companies that provide crop insurance, as our famers face more severe weather events and increased drought and flooding.

9. Mary Schlaefer, executive director, Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation: Energy conservation and efficiency can play a major role in slowing down climate change. We have done a lot, but can do vastly more. Saving energy saves money for consumers and lowers emissions. It’s a win-win.

10. Dick Smythe, retired director of National Research Programs in Fish, Water, Wildlife, Soils, and Atmospheric Sciences at the USDA-Forest Service: There is good and bad news. Our oceans are becoming more acidic due to warming, threatening aquatic life and increasing the presence of damaging invasive species like jellyfish. But in the face of federal or state inaction, local communities are taking the lead, with many exciting and innovative programs.

11. Karen Oberhauser, professor in the Department. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota: The warming of our planet is likely to have serious impacts on our treasured Monarch butterflies. As the planet warms, the fragile habitat in Mexico where millions of Monarchs from Wisconsin winter may disappear. At the same time, summer habitat will move north and survival will depend on milkweed also successfully moving north.

We hope these columns have been informative and helped readers reflect on steps they can take to help confront climate change. Next year, the Climate Corner will continue monthly, addressing topics like what faith-based communities are doing, human health impacts, an exciting Door County residential project, how our birds, forests and lakes will be affected, what progressive Wisconsin businesses are doing to meet their responsibility, and more. Suggestions of topics and authors are more than welcome!