Global warming should be of concern to all of us
Posted Online 1/29/01
Do we really understand global warming? Why should it concern us?
The questions could mount as this issue begins to rise above our collective consciousness.
The anticipated climate changes brought on by the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels have always seemed more theoretical than real.
Polar Thaw, a photographic exhibit currently at the Science Museum of Minnesota, documents how global warming already is affecting our planet's polar regions. See news story. It calls attention to the unpleasant thought and fact that global warming is a real and present danger and is an issue that we all must pay keen attention if we are to sustain the world as we know it.
Scenarios are many but if the warming continues, Minnesota could look much different in many generations or centuries to come. Our serene farms, lakes and forests could be no more.
ECM Publishers through its news columns and The Andersen Foundation, a creation of publisher emeritus Elmer L. Andersen and his family, are both committed to providing the most complete information about the scenarios of global warming. The Andersen Foundation recently offered financial support for The Science Museum exhibit on the Polar Thaw.
We in Minnesota have done much to protect and preserve the natural environment of the state. Many state legislators, environmentalists and others strive to maintain and restore wildlife habitat and the greenery of the state.
It was indeed shocking to see the negative effects that the release of 120 million tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Minnesota in 1990. By the end of the decade, releases in the state had risen to about 150 million tons annually.
Let's become informed and knowledgeable about the issue. We must take responsibility for our own actions and must push our elected officials to establishing plans to reduce our contribution to this global problem.Use our land, cities and highways in a most energy efficient and most sound technological manner as possible.
One easy way to understand the effects of global warming is to visit the exhibit at The Science Museum. This exhibit which consists of 30 color photographs capturing the effects of pervasive temperature increases from disappearing sea ice to melting permafrost to dying boreal forests will cause you to realize our need to be concerned now.
The exhibit will be at the Science Museum until Sunday, April 22. The Science Museum of Minnesota is located at 120 West Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul.
Another way to stay informed and find ways to help is to visit these helpful Web sites:
• http://www.me3.org/issues/climate/
• http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/
• http://www.gcrio.org/edu/educ.html
Editor’s note: This editorial is the opinion of ECM Editorial Board, ECM Publishers, Inc.
