Document text
During the 1996 movie "Independence Day,” massive spaceships surround the globe, clearly threatening our extinction. When the enemy is a clear and present danger, we respond rapidly. Unfortunately, both global warming and its climate change consequences seem obvious only to those who are aware of the causes and implications of the threat. Although climate trends are evident to us here and now in the Rogue Basin, unlike the cyclical variations of short-term daily or weekly weather patterns, the major impacts are long-term and noticeable only over decades. In the absence of threatening spaceships, many of us miss the disturbing trends; it’s an obscure and present danger, but one that assuredly will adversely affect us and our children unless we take it seriously. Although many of us have too much to do just to live our lives, absent action, time can quickly become too late to do anything about it. SOCAN’s “Our Critical Climate — Trends, Impacts and Solutions,” Oct. 13 and 14 in Medford, brought together experts, representatives and area residents who are aware and concerned about the effect humans are having on the planet. During the conference, local and regional experts described the current trends and indicated how regional projections indicate that these troubling trends will get worse into the future, unless we act now individually and collectively to reduce them and manage their impacts. The summit enjoyed over 70 sponsors and over 30 endorsements and displayed the impressive diversity of interests, energy and creativity needed to achieve our highest goals. Over 250 people attended, while a speaker list of 30, including three keynote speakers and four state and federal politicians, all contributed expertise that added to local contributions on impacts and solutions underway. Attendees gained an understanding of the threatening climate trends and projections influencing our basin. These included: increasing temperature with an increasing number of really hot days, declining snowpack, serious drought, increasing fire risk, steady annual average rainfall but with moister winters, drier summers and more heavy downpours inducing floods, landslides and soil erosion. Attendees also learned how these trends are threatening domestic and agricultural water supplies, particularly for small farmers, orchardists and wine growers; aquatic and terrestrial natural resources including our forests; tourism and recreation; human health; and the lives of Native Americans. They also learned that these problems are basin-wide — affecting Josephine and Curry counties all the way to the coast, where rising sea level is another potential concern. Only by focusing, with blinders, on just one of these trends and ignoring the rest is it possible to argue that we have experienced such extreme conditions before. By contrast, if we look at all the trees, we can see the forest; if we acknowledge all the dots, we can connect them. The second day of the conference was initiated with comments from Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, who offered glimpses into their climate efforts in Congress. As the second day continued, attendees learned about the many efforts already underway in the region that are helping communities respond to the climate threats. These included discussions not only of effective projects underway in Eugene, but also of many more happening locally, from domestic and agricultural water management through recreation, renewable energy and construction, to transportation. State Rep. Peter Buckley and State Sen. Alan Bates also contributed thoughts on what is happening legislatively at the state level and what we might expect in the forthcoming short 2016 legislative session. During the Wednesday afternoon break-out sessions, many further ideas were initiated in the areas of forest health and fire, human health, recreation and tourism, agriculture, transportation, water and individual/collective action. SOCAN will be supporting these breakout members as they develop their ideas further. Conference presentations are available on the program link at http://socanclimatesummit.info , where the break-out session tab leads to notes taken at these sessions. Anyone interested in joining the project discussions or otherwise getting involved in regional efforts to address climate change is invited to contact SOCAN at [email protected] . I encourage us all to think about what we and our families can do to reduce our contribution to regional emissions of greenhouse gases; think also about where we work and play, and enjoy other community connections. How are our schools dealing with these important issues? Our children will be the beneficiaries of our efforts today or the bearers of the burden should we fail to act quickly or sufficiently. Applegate Valley resident Kathy Conway is a co-facilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now.