Researcher to address climate woes

by Tori Norskog | February 10, 2010 | Montana Kaimin

Earlier spring thaws, disappearing glaciers and increasing insect population are just a few of the harsh realities of global warming that veteran environmental researcher Will Steger will address at the Urey Lecture Hall on Feb. 11.

During his “Eyewitness to Climate Change” tour, Steger is stopping in Billings, Bozeman and Missoula to offer his firsthand account of how climate change is affecting both the Arctic and Montana. He will conclude by proposing ideas for slowing these trends.

Steger has dedicated more than four decades to researching climate change and raising awareness of associated environmental threats. After traveling thousands of miles over the north and south poles by kayak and dogsled, he came to the conclusion that there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately.

“What I have witnessed in the Arctic over 45 years — and, more importantly, in the past 10 years — is alarming,” Steger said in a press release from the Will Steger Foundation.

Steger said the polar regions are warming three to four times faster than the rest of the world due to the continuing loss of snow and ice. This is because snow and ice used to reflect the sunlight, but now, water and land are replacing ice and snow. These surfaces absorb the sun’s rays, which leads to increased temperature.

Here in Montana, Steger said, the effects of global warming are evident in longer, more extreme drought seasons and forest fires. Another side effect has been the infestation of bark beetles, which have killed millions of trees.
“They’ve always been here,” said Cory C. Cleveland, a University of Montana professor who studies climate change. “But because the winters are not cold enough to kill off the beetles, and it’s dryer, the beetle kill is more prevalent.”
Steger also stresses the impact of global warming on Montana’s economy.

“If you make your living in the outdoors, those weather changes affect your livelihood,” Steger said.

With extreme droughts, Steger said, the crops won’t grow and, from there, the state will be affected by loss of tax revenue.

Other losses of revenue come from the shortened ski season and rivers being designated as off-limits to fisherman during the summers, Cleveland said.

“If the rivers are not being fed by snow pack, then their temperatures go up. Trout being fished in warm water get stressed out, so they close the rivers,” Cleveland said.

Steger said the solution to global warming is an economic one, requiring an investment in clean energy legislation. He said we need less dependence on foreign fuels so we should invest in alternative energy sources.

“We’re showing people there is a serious problem we need to address, and we have the technology to do it. But we have run out of time and need to do it now,” Steger said.

Clean energy sources include geothermal, solar and the type of power he thinks Montana should use - wind.

Steger recently attended the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, and said the United States needs to lead the way towards adopting clean energy legislation. He said the first step will be when Washington passes the clean energy-jobs legislation, which would stimulate the economy with job creation along with helping to stall global warming.

“It’s great that we’re thinking about climate change on campus,” Cleveland said. “Just because the economy is bad does not mean climate change is no longer an issue.”

In addition to his Feb. 11 lecture at 7 p.m., Steger will lead a lunch discussion about climate change solutions at noon that day in Main Hall, Room 210.

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