Less snow, more rain. Warmer winters and frequent late-summer droughts. More invasive species entering the state and some of our most beloved wildlife and trees departing.
Those are some of the upshots of climate change in Minnesota, as detailed by three experts testifying before the newly created House Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Division on Tuesday. In the first day of a two-part presentation, University of Minnesota professors in the fields of climatology, meteorology, atmospheric science and forest resources detailed changes the state is experiencing, and what is projected to happen in the future.
The division and a standing-room-only crowd heard some dire predictions, but also listened as scientists forged connections between weather the state has experienced in recent years and how it fits with larger climate change patterns. While climate change is a global problem, former University of Minnesota Extension Climatologist and Meteorologist Mark Seeley emphasized the state is being affected far more than many regions.