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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
GUEST COLUMN
Unbiased research key to climate conclusions
Notes From the Capitol
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
As this is being written, weather forecasts are warning of a possible snow storm that could “highly impact” holiday travel plans for many across the Upper Midwest. It couldn’t come at a worse time for all those trying to make it home to spend time with family. Folks on the East Coast found out recently that a foot of snow makes for difficult travel. Once again, just another reminder that some things are out of our control.
On the subject of weather, for several years we have been subject to warnings about “global warming” and what it was doing to our planet. Recently, though, as we’ve experienced cooler conditions (this past summer, for example), the discussions have changed somewhat, from outright warming to “climate change.” Some have even gone so far as to warn that if significant changes don’t occur within 10 years, we’ll advance beyond the “tipping point” and will not be able to fully rectify our mistakes.
I think it behooves us to be aware of greenhouse gases and work to limit their release into the atmosphere. However, we also need to put aside the politics and gather solid evidence that carbon dioxide is the real culprit that causes problems. I read a report that many of the temperature reporting stations here in the U.S. are in locations that may temper their accuracy. Putting a recording thermometer on top of a dark-colored building, or right next to an air conditioning exhaust will certainly record warmer temperatures and not be fully accurate.
One area that’s certainly cause for concern is the loss of polar ice in our northern, Arctic region. Temperature changes seem to become more dramatic farther north. However, I visited with a district resident who had just returned from a trip down south, way down south to South America. He and his wife were on a cruise ship that sailed around the southern tip of the continent, around Cape Horn from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. According to information he was given, there is no evidence that the ice sheet on our southern pole, the Antarctic, is growing smaller.
Legislation is being debated in our nation’s Capitol that would place limits on carbon emissions and put into place a trading platform for carbon credits. The cost for doing business in any activity that currently releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere would certainly go up. We would all be affected, whether it be solely for the purchase of household electricity or, in the case of agriculture, the cost of inputs such as fuel and fertilizer. A recent study released by the USDA predicted that profit in agriculture would be decreased by 28 percent in just a few years. If that occurs, there is a concern that part of our food production industry, by far the most efficient in the world, would be forced to move.
Research and discussion on this subject are important. We need hard facts that are the result of unbiased research. We as a people also need to realize that any changes we make will have an economic impact on our nation. That impact needs to be balanced and fair to everyone, and its benefit needs to outweigh the cost.
Best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year. There are signs the economy is stabilizing, so maybe the worst of the recession is behind us.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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