Alaska - The Climate Change Poster State - USA Today

[mcscajun]

DUer hatrack posted
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=55413&mesg_id=55413
this USA Today article yesterday in the Environment/Energy forum and it sank like a stone. I thought it should come to the attention of GD. Even if you think you already know the dangers of global warming, this will bring some items of note to your attention you may not have considered before.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2006-05-29-alaska-globalwarming_x.htm?csp=34

A most alarming and depressing article. This will impact everything.
Global warming will change everything from allergies and the spread of disease, to the cost of food and agricultural employment, from hurricanes to home construction. Ugh.

Selected details from the OP article:
Rising temperatures will mean rising milk prises; cows produce less milk when it gets over 80°F. The yield for feed crops and sweet corn will drop as temps rise also. Fruit production is imperiled as "Spring" arrives earlier than it used to, but cold snaps follow older patterns. Fruit trees blossom and the cold snap kills the flowers, wiping out production. California stone fruits (peaches, plums, and nectarines)and snack nuts (almonds and such) don't do well in warmer winters; the trees need some cold in order to bloom and produce their fruits.

Here's another case of offshoring jobs we can't afford to lose; plum producers are on the move.

Packers already are moving some production to Chile. There could soon come a day when California, which grows 95% to 98% of all plums in the USA, is out of the business entirely.

Got allergies? No? Wait a while; you might yet develop some, or if you already have 'em, brace yourself. They're bound to get worse.

U.S. asthma and allergy rates are increasing in part because more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is supercharging the production of pollen that can trigger them, he says. When carbon dioxide is doubled, ragweed stems grow 10% more but pollen increases by 60%.

"Pollen counts of 120 used to be cause for alert. We're seeing counts like 6,000 now," Epstein says.

And let's not forget the insects that carry diseases; we usually count on freezing temps to kill them off during winter. Hang onto your hats, now.

Warmer winters also mean insects can survive and thrive in places where the cold used to keep them in check. Lyme disease is spreading beyond the former winter confines of the tick that carries it. And West Nile virus is spreading farther because spring drought amplifies the bird-biting mosquito cycle, Epstein says.

[democrank]

1. Disturbing.

Democrats should make global warming a front-and-center issue in `06 and `08.

[maxsolomon]

2. i halfway disagree

global heating is the biggest issue facing mankind, no dispute.

but the murkin people don't have a very good track record of embracing challenge or change. telling them that none of it is their fault & they don't have to wake the fuck up & it is morning in murka is a very successful election strategery.

better to lie & tell them they're the smartest & bravest people on the planet & that everyone else is just jealous.

:sarcasm:, sort of...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. "Rising temperatures will mean rising milk prices"

I'm not so certain of that. Is it not generally the case in the US that the states have minimum prices for milk, and that those prices are maintained by artificial price supports? My guess is that all that would happen is that the price supports would shrink, and the price to the consumer would stay the same.

[mcscajun]

4. Minimum prices, yes. Maximum prices, no.

There's a floor for the producers/distributors, but no ceiling for consumers.

Lower supply will mean higher prices.