Iowa Climate Statement 2011 - University of Iowa College of Public ...

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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.