Global Warming: Minnesota Impacts

Global Warming: Minnesota Impacts, Minnesota Solutions, Monday October 16th 7-8pm, Izaak Walton League-Bush Lake lodge, 7515Izaak Walton League Rd., Bloomington.



Global warming is the defining issue of our age and will be for many generations to come. Learn how it affects Minnesota and what actions everyday Minnesotans are taking to curb and mitigate its impacts. On Monday October 16th from 7-8 pm, J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director for Fresh Energy, will share her perspectives on the Minnesota impacts and solutions to the problems of global warming at the Izaak Walton League-Bush Lake Chapter lodge, 7515 Izaak Walton League Road, Boomington.


Ms Hamilton will talk about how, if we continue on a "business-as-usual" course with our energy use, mainstream scientific projections show that by the year 2090 Minnesota summers could be much like summers are in Kansas right now. Obviously, global warming will change everything about the character of our natural environment and the quality of life for our children, grandchildren and future generations. We could go from being the "land of 10,000 lakes" to being the "land of 10 lakes."



However, these impacts are not inevitable. The best scientists and engineers tell us that, by reducing our use of enery and making a transition away from the fossil fuels that are causing the problem to clean, efficient energy sources such as wind and solar, we can meet our energy needs, prevent the worst damages from global warming and grow our Midwestern economy in very promising ways. We need individual households to use energy more wisely, we need smarter business investments, and we need leadership from government at all levels.



J. Drake Hamilton serves on the board of the U.S. Climate Action Network and helped found Congregations Caring for Creation. In 2005 she studied global warming policy in Europe via a leadership fellowship from the European Union. She holds degrees in geography and environmental studies from Dartmouth College and the Unversity of Minnesota and was formerly assistant professor of geography at George Washington University in Washington DC, where she taught graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental geography and energy policy. Fresh Energy’s web resources are at: www.fresh-energy.org. Her presentation is free and open to the public. For more information/directions, call Jill Crafton, 952-944-5583 or visit the IWL-Bush Lake website: http://www.bushlakeikes.org