Letter from the Executive Director

We had a wonderful donor appreciation event earlier this month. Over 50 friends and supporters joined us for a sustainable breakfast and presentation from WSF staff on our programs and recent accomplishments. Thank you again to those who joined us for this new annual event!

If you pay attention to the rhetoric between those concerned about climate change and climate change deniers, you would think that it is a polarizing issue - that you could predict by political party affiliation which way the public will fall on climate and energy issues. A new poll says this is not true. The majority of people, regardless of political affiliation, believe that addressing climate change should be a political priority and they want their elected officials to do something about it. They are ready for a new national climate and energy policy to emerge.

In other news, Minnesota legislators and Governor Dayton worked together to pass a bonding bill that makes it easier to install solar on schools and other public buildings. This provision will allow public building projects financed by bonding to use 5% of the project cost for solar systems, providing local, clean energy for electricity. Best of all, a "Made in Minnesota" provision will help Minnesota solar businesses to manufacture these solar systems here. This legislation will create manufacturing jobs across Minnesota, especially in areas that have been plagued with high unemployment and stagnant economies. We were really pleased to have played a role in this success.

Unfortunately, there is still significant opposition to efforts to address climate change. We also published a quick response to Congressman Cravaack’s amendment to cut funding for climate change education. Look for our commentary in the Duluth News Tribune this Thursday! You can learn more about this issue and other efforts in this month’s e-newsletter.

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director

The big news last month was the record-breaking temperature records set in March and the first-ever carbon pollution protection for new power plants.

The March heat wave in the Midwest was one of the most extreme heat events in U.S. history. According to meteorologist Paul Douglas, “the scope, intensity and duration of this early heat wave are historic and unprecedented. And yes, climate change is probably a contributing factor.” Read more in his commentary.

Following the heat wave, the Obama Administration issued draft language to establish the first-ever carbon pollution protections for new power plants.  While the announced standards will limit carbon pollution from new power plants, the EPA is also working to develop standards to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, and is expected to issue a draft proposal early next year.

Clearly we are seeing increasing evidence of climate change and at the same time are recognizing we need major steps to address it. These carbon pollution protections mark the end of antiquated, dirty coal plants and will spark innovation in clean technologies and create green jobs.

Earth Day is around the corner so we are gearing up for a number of events. Check out our April happenings – we hope to see you at one of our upcoming events and that you have a wonderful Earth Day on April 22nd!

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director

Last month we ramped up our education and youth outreach across the state. Will visited Hawley and Detroit Lakes where he spoke to over 1,000 people about the impacts and solutions to climate change here in Minnesota. Students at Hawley Elementary and High School visited with Will and shared what they are learning using our Minnesota’s Changing Climate curriculum and online classroom.

Then over 80 high school and college youth convened at the state Capitol to advocate for solar and other environmental policies. The video from the event is a delight to watch as youth sing “Let's Use the Sun” to the tune of  Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun".

We also co-organized an event with diverse partners at the University of Minnesota to explore the question “Clean Air: is it the new civil rights struggle?” The event emphasized that everyone deserves clean air and a safe community. Karen Monahan, Environmental Justice Organizer with the Sierra Club concluded, “We all share the same air. It’s all of ours, regardless of the color of your skin or what continent you live on. There is a place for everyone in this movement.”

Read more about these exciting initiatives and more in this month’s newsletter!

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director

A few articles caught my eye in the Minneapolis based Star Tribune last month. Of course I was proud of Will Steger’s opinion piece on climate literacy, published on January 27th: Will writes “if the nation is to address climate change, it must begin with a public that is climate literate.” You can read the piece here.

Another article in the paper was the new plant hardiness zone map released by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), used by gardeners to select plantings that will be compatible with temperatures in their area. The climate change deniers in the Bush Administration pulled a similar map from circulation in 2003 because of the clear northward trend of planting zones. USDA insists that this is not a climate change map but when compared to the previous map, issued in 1990, the warming trend is hard to miss.

Finally, the U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released its Annual Energy Outlook 2012 report, citing that the United States consumed less coal and imported oil in 2011 than it did in 2005. While current emission levels are not on target to reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 17 percent by the year 2020, EIA’s forecast shows that new fuel-economy standards are helping Americans reduce their daily oil consumption. Locally, in Minneapolis, the city has experienced a 12.8 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions without cutting electricity use over the past six years. The reduction may be the result of cleaner energy such as wind and solar as well as more fuel-efficient cars. The city is currently revising a new Climate Action Plan.

Read more about our program highlights in this month’s e-newsletter.

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director

Arctic Oscillation Diagram

It’s hard not to notice the lack of winter across most of the country, at least in the lower 48 states. Two weeks ago a January heat wave smashed records from North Dakota to California before spreading into the Northeast. At least 1,500 daily record high temperatures were set during the period from January 2-8, including Minnesota. Real winter weather is just around the corner though, thanks to the Arctic Oscillation. The Arctic Oscillation is a pattern of atmospheric pressure that helps steer the jet stream in the Northern Hemisphere and is transitioning into a new phase. When it’s in a “positive phase” as it has been so far this winter, cold air tends to remain bottled up in the Arctic. In fact, the Arctic Oscillation has been extremely positive this winter, with the Arctic Oscillation index reaching its second-highest level on record, dating back to 1950. This is the opposite of how things were in December 2010 and January 2011, when the Arctic Oscillation was extremely negative and several major snowstorms slammed the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Scientists do not fully understand what influences the behavior of the Arctic Oscillation, but some studies show links between it and the loss of Arctic sea ice, which is due in large part to global warming, and other research suggests that solar activity can have an effect on it as well. Our friend and Minnesota weather guru Paul Douglas was on MPR’s Midmorning show recently discussing our weird weather and more. Listen here.

At a recent school visit in Proctor, Minnesota in early January, Will Steger explained the difference between weather and climate and talked about how he navigated his expedition teams without a GPS unit using wind, the sun, and weather as a guide. Students were surprised to learn how skills he learned as a young child enabled him to survive in the Arctic. Learn more about Will's early observations and journals in our online classroom.

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director