Global Warming

The focus of this post will be on Bill McKibben's book eaarth Making Life on a Tough New Planet. In this book McKibben shows that global warming is not a future problem for our children and grandchildren.  It is a current problem a problem here and now.  It is also a problem that we created ourselves.  The first two chapters of the book have a very doom and gloom feeling.  It is an in your face explanation of how we created the global warming problem ourselves and the little that has been done to slow, let alone stop, or even reverse the carbon emissions. 

I have never doubted global warming or that it was caused by human activities.  I've seen the weather pattern changes over the past three decades here in Michigan.  The seasons come and go but summer has gotten hotter, and winter milder weather is shifting.   The hot temperatures fried my lawn this  summer,  but the roses I have in my yard were still blooming last week.  In the past my lawn rarely turned brown and crunchy to walk on and the roses never use to bloom past mid October.  The snow that fell in December use to stick around until February.  Now when it snows my son goes out to play in it immediately because it might all melt away in a couple of days.  It reminds me of something I heard growing up, "It's Michigan if you don't like the weather wait five minutes and it'll change."  It's not just Michigan though it's global weather change.

Global warming is changing habitation for Michigan native fish species.  The average annual ice coverage on the Great Lakes has declined by 72% fro 1973 to 2010.  Ice coverage is needed for native fish species.  The warming of Michigan waters will lead to a shift in fish population.  There will end up being reduced number of cool water species like whitefish and sturgeon, and more warm water species such as bass.  Michigan DNR report published September 2012 titled "Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Costal and Inland Wetlands in the State of Michigan" I found it interesting since it ties in McKibben to my topic.  The following map was also in this report  and here is the link in case anyone would like to read the report: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/Michigan_Wetlands_and_Climate_Change_Report_Final_Final_403251_7.pdf

Figure 1 - Michigan Climate Migration - Source: Union of Concerned Scientists