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Feeling the heat in New Hampshire

-- Mike -- 01/29/2007

I spent today in New Hampshire, and while in the Granite State I was fortunate enough to sit in on a briefing at the state house in Concord on the likely effects of climate change in the Northeastern United States. The presentation, given by two well-respected climate change experts, was attended by numerous members of the state legislature, as well as dozens of school-aged children, members of the environmental community and other concerned citizens.

The scientists illustrated that new climate projections for the Northeast show dramatic consequences for New Hampshire – from hotter temperatures to reduced snow pack to more extreme precipitation events. Fortunately, the fact that a presentation on global warming would garner such widespread interest – on a Monday afternoon nonetheless – is further proof that people recognize that it is time to take action on this issue.

I was particularly happy to see so many students in attendance, even if some of the science behind global warming may have gone over their heads. After all, it’s their generation – and their children’s generation – that will suffer the consequences if we fail to take serious steps to stop global warming. But their presence today at the capitol building is enough to give me hope that real change is on the way.