Get started on climate work now

I am shocked. The Army Corps of Engineers dared ask our region’s climate experts this question: “Is it likely that climate change will have a significant impact on the flood flow frequency curve during the life of the proposed flood risk reduction project for Fargo, N.D.-Moorhead, Minn.?”

They summarized: “There was consensus among the experts that the recent data show a clear trend toward greater magnitudes and frequency of flooding in the Fargo-Moorhead area. It was also generally agreed among the experts and observers that current evidence is insufficient to determine whether or not anthropogenic greenhouse gases are contributing to the trend. However, the experts agreed that it was not necessary to determine the cause of the trend in order to address the corps’ second objective for the EOE (determining how to account for increased uncertainty).”

Wait, what? The climate is already changing? And the experts don’t know why? But they need to address how to account for it? Hmm.

What if atmospheric gas emissions really are creating more flooding here? What happens if we only manage the flood levels, but don’t manage the ever-increasing trend of flooding? Shouldn’t we start work on engineering a policy recommendation to our state, national and international leadership asking for solutions to climate change?

Oh, wait, we already have the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009. If global climate change is at least partially responsible, and our carbon emissions are the cause, it’s going to take a long time to solve that problem. Let’s get started now!

Tags: climate change, opinion, letters, flood