Nov 15, 2011 - Jack Gittinger, Science Education, Simpson College, Indianola ... Martin St. Clair, Professor of Chemistr
FORIMMEDIATERELEASE November15,2011 FORMOREINFORMATION Prof.GeneTakle,Director,ClimateScienceProgram,IowaStateUniversity,(515)294Ͳ9871 Prof.DavidCourardͲHauri,EnvironmentalScienceandPolicyProgram,DrakeUniversity,(515)271Ͳ3812 SCIENTISTSACROSSIOWASAYTHATCLIMATECHANGEISAFFECTINGIOWA,URGECANDIDATESTO ACKNOWLEDGECLIMATESCIENCE DESMOINESͲScientistsfromacrossIowaissuedastatementtodayreͲaffirmingthatclimatechangeis realandurgingcandidatestoacknowledgethescienceofclimatechangeandpresent"appropriate" policyresponses.Thestatement,signedby31scientistsfrom22differentcollegesanduniversitiesin Iowa,isbeingdeliveredtoGovernorTerryBranstad'sofficetodayandwillbeavailableforparticipantsin theIowaEnergyForumsponsoredbyPoliticoinDesMoinesonWednesday. Inthestatement,thescientistspointoutthatIowaisalreadyexperiencingtheeffectsofclimatechange, suchasincreasedprecipitation,andthatthosechangeshave"clearconnectionstochangesinglobal climate." "AllmajorscientificsocietiesandtheUSNationalAcademyofSciencehaveaffirmedthattherecentrise ingreenhousegasesintheglobalatmospherehascontributedtochangesinourclimate,"thescientists say.Additionalclimatechangeswillchallengefarmersandplanners"tomaintaintheprosperityofour stateanditsroleinnationalandglobalfoodsecurity." "IbelieveitisimportantforIowanstoknowthatscientistswholiveandworkincommunitiesacrossour stateunderstandthatclimatechangeisrealandhasseriousimplicationsforourfuture,"saidDavid CourardͲHauri,assistantprofessorofenvironmentalscienceandpolicyatDrakeUniversity."Thisisan issuethatallcandidatesforelectedoffice,fromcitycounciltoPresidentoftheUnitedStates,should acknowledgeandaddressthroughpublicpolicy." ThestatementwasdraftedbyfourclimatescienceresearchersatIowaStateUniversity,includingProf. GeneTakle,Director,ClimateScienceProgram,IowaStateUniversity.Prof.CourardͲHauriorganizedthe scientistsfromothercollegesanduniversitieswhosignedontothestatement. Thefulltextofthestatementandthesignatoriestothestatementareprovidedbelow.
***** ClimateScienceandPublicPolicyinIowa November,2011 TheproductivesoilsandfavorableclimateofIowaunderpintheeconomyofourState.Overthelast halfͲcenturyourfarmershaveadaptedtochangingconditionstokeepIowarankedasoneoftheleading agriculturestatesintheUS.WetakewellͲearnedprideinourcontributionstonationalandglobalfood security. Changesinrainfallpatternsandotherclimateindicatorshaveemergedasthelatestandpotentiallythe mostseriouschallengetoIowans'livesandlivelihoods.Subtlechangesinclimatecanhavelargeeffects onagriculture,makingitasensitiveindicatorofclimatechange.Statewidedatashowchangesin temperature,precipitation,andhumidityoverthelastfortyyearsaffectingIowa'sproducers.Inrecent decadesalongergrowingseason,moreprecipitation,andlackofextremehighdaytimetemperatures havecontributedtoimprovedcropyieldsinourState.Buttheaccompanyingincreaseinextreme rainfallevents,higherhumidity,andhighernighttimetemperatureshaverequiredcostlyadaptations. Likeitsfarmers,Iowa'scitiesandruralcommunities,whichprovideourinfrastructure,educational opportunities,andculturalamenities,alsohavefelttheeffectsofachangingclimate.Overthelast40 yearsintenserainfallhasoccurredaboutfivetimesmoreoftenthaninourprevioushistory.Asaresult ourcommunitieshavefacedenormousexpensetorecoverfromrepeated“500Ͳyear”floods.Cedar Rapids,DesMoines,IowaCity,andAmesallhavesufferedmultiͲmilliondollarlossesfromfloodssince 1993.In2008alone,85ofIowa’s99countiesweredeclaredfederaldisasterareas. ThesechangesinIowa’sclimatehaveclearconnectionstochangesinglobalclimateandtochangesin howweusetheland.Astheglobalclimatecontinuestoevolve,ourfarmersandcityplannerswillface newchallengestomaintaintheprosperityofourstateanditsroleinnationalandglobalfoodsecurity. AllmajorscientificsocietiesandtheUSNationalAcademyofSciencehaveaffirmedthattherecentrise ingreenhousegasesintheglobalatmospherehascontributedtochangesinourclimate.Weurgeall candidatesforpublicofficeatnational,state,andlocallevelstoacknowledgetheoverwhelmingbalance ofevidencefortheunderpinningcausesofclimatechange,todevelopappropriatepolicyresponses,and todeveloplocalandstatewidestrategiestoadapttonearͲtermchangesinclimate. Signed,* ChrisAnderson,ClimateScienceProgram,IowaStateUniversity RayArritt,ClimateScienceProgram,IowaStateUniversity BillGutowski,ClimateScienceProgram,IowaStateUniversity GeneTakle,ClimateScienceProgram,IowaStateUniversity,Ames MarkAronson,DepartmentofBiology,ScottCommunityCollege,Davenport NeilBernstein,Chair,DepartmentofNaturalandAppliedSciences,MountMercyUniversity,Cedar Rapids AaronBunker,DepartmentofBiology,MorningsideCollege,SiouxCity DavidCampbell,HenryR.LuceProfessorinNations&theGlobalEnvironmentandProfessorofBiology, GrinnellCollege,Grinnell
DavidCourardͲHauri,EnvironmentalScienceandPolicyProgram,DrakeUniversity,DesMoines RichardCruse,Director,IowaWaterCenter,DepartmentofAgronomy,IowaStateUniversity,Ames GaryDonnermeyer,Math/ScienceDepartment,KirkwoodCommunityCollege,CedarRapids RobertdeHaan,EnvironmentalStudiesDepartment,DordtCollege,SiouxCity RhawnDenniston,Chair,DepartmentofGeology,CornellCollege,Mt.Vernon JackGittinger,ScienceEducation,SimpsonCollege,Indianola BrianHazlett,Director,EnvironmentalScienceProgram,BriarCliffUniversity,SiouxCity LauraJackson,ProfessorofBiology,UniversityofNorthernIowa,CedarFalls M.PatrickMcAdams,DivisionofHealthandLifeScience,WilliamPennUniversity,Oskaloosa DavidMcCullough,ProfessorofBiology,Coordinator,EnvironmentalStudies,WartburgCollege,Waverly GilbertNebgen,AssociateProfessorofScienceandMath,IndianHillsCommunityCollege,Ottumwa LauraPeterson,DepartmentofChemistry,EnvironmentalStudiesProgram,LutherCollege,Decorah GaryPhillips,EnvironmentalStudiesDepartment,IowaLakesCommunityCollege,EsthervilleThomas Rosburg,ProfessorofBiology,DrakeUniversity,DesMoines MelanieHansenSadeghpour,Chair,EnvironmentalScienceProgram,DesMoinesAreaCommunity College,DesMoines PaulaSanchini,ProfessorofBiology,CoeCollege,CedarRapids JeraldSchnoor,DepartmentofCivilandEnvironmentalEngineering,CoͲDirector,CenterforGlobaland RegionalEnvironmentalResearch,UniversityofIowa KeithSummerville,EnvironmentalScienceandPolicy,DrakeUniversity,DesMoines KathrynSzramek,EnvironmentalScienceandPolicy,DrakeUniversity,DesMoines MartinSt.Clair,ProfessorofChemistry,CoeCollege,CedarRapids TracyTodd,AssociateProfessorofBiology,NorthwesternCollege,OrangeCity PaulWeihe,Biology&EnvironmentalScience,CentralCollege,Pella DanielleWirth,EnvironmentalScienceDepartment,DesMoinesAreaCommunityCollege,DesMoines *Theviewsexpressedhereinarethoseoftheindividualsignatories,anddonotnecessarilyrepresent theviewsoftheinstitutionswithwhichtheyareaffiliated.
