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March 14, 2013

Climate change threatens water supplies

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Editor, The Transcript:

Mr. Strong’s Q&A published in The Norman Transcript on March 3, 2013, “Court to rule on dispute,” is a disservice to science and the citizens of Oklahoma.

His statement about climate change, “I don’t believe there is a consensus on that subject right now, at least not on man-induced climate change,” is misleading.

Although he technically may be referring to a view that among Oklahomans, there is no consensus on climate change, the fact is among climate scientists, there is an overwhelming consensus that climate change is happening rapidly because of man’s activity of emitting CO2 and other green house gases (e.g. methane) into the atmosphere at unprecedented levels.

Forecasts by the World Bank and others predict a dire scenario if we stick to “business as usual,” which is certainly the current position of Congress and the stance of oil and gas states such as Oklahoma.

It is disappointing that Mr. Strong didn’t use his  interview as an opportunity to educate OK citizens about the growing, real threat of climate change for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, as well as its threat to our water needs and public health. 

Indeed, we recently learned that the Oklahoma Water Board has long worked with Mr. Clay Pope, an Oklahoma farmer and executive director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD). Mr. Pope released the video below on 11 Feb. 2013,  urging President Obama to  address climate change and its effect on agriculture in his State of the Union address: www.youtube.com/watch?v=62LGxzVtZQI.

We respectfully suggest that the Oklahoma Water Board watch it and start educating others in the state of the growing threat of climate change to Oklahoma water supplies.

Ola Fincke, Ph.D biologist; Jim F. Chamberlain, Ph.D., P.E.; Joel Olson, NWS-Storm Prediction Center; Deborah Dalton; BJ Robbins, Ph.D; Betty Leggiero; and Mary

Francis

Norman

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