Secretary of State espouses views on climate changes, ‘global warming’
From our weekly issue dated September 24, 2008
Whether one believes in man’s contributions to “global warming” or not, climate change due to warming is a reality, claims Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, who spoke in Cave Junction on Friday, Sept. 19.
He addressed an assembly of Illinois Valley High School students and staff in the school cafeteria.
Regarding those who disbelieve global warming, Bradbury quoted Mark Twain, saying, “It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
Bradbury said that global warming is real. He used a slideshow to illustrate his points with photos and charts. He spoke eloquently about the storms, droughts, warming seas, and vanishing arctic ice. He mentioned Carl Sagan’s description of Earth’s atmosphere being like varnish on an orange. It’s thin, but it protects the Earth from too much of the sun’s heat and holds in enough heat so that the planet can be inhabited by humans and other species.
Too much heat kills species that can’t adapt to a warmer environment and lower oxygen content. As an example, Bradbury showed a photo of the strange “dead zone” off the Oregon coast. A sudden loss of oxygen in the Pacific Ocean along the coast killed every marine animal that could not swim to the surface. Crabs and other bottom dwellers died off in August 2006.
Scientists found that changes in rising ocean temperatures affect wind patterns, causing stronger, longer-lasting storms. The temperature differential changed wind patterns, affecting climate, rainfall, and water temperatures globally.
The wind pattern changes led to a sharp increase in catastrophic weather events since the 1950s, according to Bradbury. This has resulted in more floods and more intense storms, more rain and less snow, rising sea levels, and more drought and wildfires. There were 82 large wildfires during 2006 in the United States, more than ever previously recorded.
These vast wildfires destroy wildlife and their habitat, plus homes, farms and businesses. They damage water quality, and lead to soil erosion and mudslides. The cost of these catastrophes is in the billions of dollars and growing annually.
Bradbury noted that the water temperature in the Columbia River has risen. It now averages 68 to 71 degrees during August and September. He noted that 75 degrees is deadly to trout, salmon and other marine life. The rivers of the Columbia Basin, as well as the Yakima, Snake, Rogue, Klamath and Illinois rivers, also are warmer.
The secretary of state showed a slide of a 2002 Chinook salmon die-off in the Klamath River that he said was caused by overly warm water. Warmer rivers are prone to fish kills, disease and high bacteria levels. It also results in massive algae blooms, the bane of fishermen and reservoirs such as Lost Creek Reservoir. These fresh water dangers threaten livestock and humans who rely on the water for drinking.
During the past 80 years, Bradbury stated, Earth’s climate has warmed, and ice caps and glaciers have retreated. They are still retreating, he said. Bradbury said that this is bad news because the ice caps and glaciers release water during summers for irrigation, drinking water, and to sustain wildlife and vegetation.
Shrinking ice caps, he continued, have led to droughts in Africa and other regions. Droughts mean crops cannot be grown. They have led to people struggling for survival, to tribal warfare, and to genocide, according to Bradbury.
He showed views of Mt. Hood’s glaciers decades ago and of the same sites today. The glaciers have almost disappeared, reducing flow into the tributaries of the Mt. Hood River. Reduced ice caps in the region, said Bradbury, have led to warmer water and less of it during summers in salmon and trout rivers such as the Yakima, Snake, Rogue, Illinois and Klamath.
“No one is going to come to our rescue,” Bradbury said, pointing to a large photo of the cosmos with a tiny blue dot called Earth in it.
He added that humanity is alone, and that it is urgent for humans to work to save the planet. He showed what he said is evidence of changes to Earth’s atmosphere due to rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO²) and other greenhouse gases caused by human activities. The greenhouse gases make the planet’s surface warmer, leading to ice melt and warmer winds and oceans, he said.
Years ago, Bradbury traveled the state to promote the Oregon Health Plan. During July 2006, he was among the first to be trained in Tennessee by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on global warming. He now travels the state giving slide-show presentations on the topic. Bradbury believes that the better-informed people are about the warming climate and how to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the greater our chances for reducing what some see as a threat to survival.
He noted that of all the industrialized nations, only the United States has not signed the Kyoto Protocol. Some 805 U.S. cities and many states support the Kyoto Protocol and have enacted their own regulations. Plus, 27 CEOs of major U.S. corporations support strong federal controls to cap CO² emissions to be competitive in the world.
Twelve Oregon cities have joined. Portland is one, and reduced its greenhouse gas emissions to below 1990 levels, as called for by the Kyoto Treaty.
Bradbury commented that we can no longer just “consume” as we have during the past 100 years. We must change our practices at home and at work. He urges people to act on an individual level to reduce consumption of carbon energy and gasoline. His suggestions include:
Turn down thermostats, use compact fluorescent light bulbs, wrap water heaters in insulation blankets, ride a bicycle or walk instead of driving a car if you are going a mile or less, share rides to work and to shop.
Also, use mass transit, purchase “green power,” print double-sided to save paper, choose Energy Star appliances and office equipment, and reduce/reuse/recycle.
Bradbury added that in the Rogue Valley region, people make a real difference in establishing independence from carbon energy. Noted the secretary of state: If we choose sustainable, alternative energy, we can prevent the loss of many plant and animal species; protect our air and water, and the land where we live.
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