Climate Change Overview

Definition

• Climate Change: Refers to long-term trends and changes, not day-to-day weather.
  • Examples: Shorter ice cover on lakes, warmer agricultural temperatures, longer summers, more frequent heat waves, flooding from severe storms.

Impacts on Community

• Economy and Culture: Climate impacts the way we live and our local economy.
• Winter Sports: Less ice fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing due to warmer winters.
• Agriculture: Longer growing seasons, but more pests and diseases.
• Health: Heat waves can harm vulnerable populations (elderly, young, those without access to cool places).
• Infrastructure: Flooding can destroy homes, roads, and crops.

Adaptation

• Definition: Adjusting our way of life based on climate impacts.
• Examples of Adaptation:
  • Redesign stormwater systems to handle more water.
  • Plant trees and crops suited for longer, warmer growing seasons.
  • Plant vegetation to provide shade and keep water temperatures down in trout streams.
  • Develop heat emergency action plans for vulnerable people.
• Short-term Benefits: Saves property, money, lives, and wildlife.

Mitigation

• Definition: Reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to reduce global warming.
• Examples of Mitigation:
  • Driving and flying less.
  • Decreasing energy use.
  • Reducing consumption.
• Scale of Effort: Must be performed on a large scale (individuals, communities, businesses, states, countries, globally).