In his column headlined, "How to visualize climate change in Minnesota," dated Oct. 20, David Beard poses the question of how do we help Minnesotans to see how climate change will affect them?
Models of climate change predict that the climate of Minnesota will shift to become more like that of Nebraska. As a native Nebraskan
I know what that entails. One summer after enjoying a camping trip in northern Minnesota, my sister and I began driving home in the afternoon. As we drove from Minnesota to Nebraska, we watched the temperature rise from 70°F to 95°F.
While this change in climate would be a mere inconvenience for most people who enjoy the luxury of air conditioning, a shift to a warmer climate would be damaging to Minnesota's ecosystems. With less severe winters, species that historically have been killed off during the cold season will
instead survive. Already, invasive species such as the emerald ash borer are migrating north as winters become less severe.
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It's time to take steps towards a more sustainable
future. President Obama's proposed standards to limit carbon pollution from future power plants are a critical step forward. It's time to move away from using polluting fossil fuels and instead focus on renewable energy. We need to work to preserve the climate and natural beauty of Minnesota.
Lily Lien
Student, University of Minnesota, Omaha, Neb.
The writer is an undergraduate studying environmental engineering at the University of Minnesota and currently living in Minneapolis.
