Given the rainfall and snowfall in 2010, climate change in the Midwest and across the nation and world seems to be intensifying. What’s your opinion?
Research clearly shows that climate change is now affecting us and that we are changing farming and other activities as a result. Iowa is growing warmer and wetter—with temperature increases especially in winter and at night and rises in soil moisture, atmospheric humidity, precipitation (particularly in the first half of the year), and heavy precipitation events being especially great. Floods now rise faster and higher than they did in the past, with climate change and landscape alteration both factoring in. Climate change is not the sole cause of today’s floods, not at all. But it confounds today’s floods and increases environmental and water stresses. Without taking many more steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even as we adapt to future changes, I feel that our future is indeed grim.
You have made tons of presentations in the wake of A Watershed Year’s publication. What’s been the most common question?
People want to know why we are not more energetically adopting solutions for environmental problems such as flooding and climate change. Why do many politicians, decision-makers, and business owners refuse to consider that these problems are indeed intensifying and may well challenge the integrity of future lives and our planet in a major way? How can we come together to work energetically on solutions?
Tell us about your current projects.
This last winter, I helped put together a report on the impacts of climate change on Iowa (http://www.iowadnr.gov/iccac/files/executivesummary.pdf). I’m now working to complete another book, a scientific biography that’s been in the works for many years. I’d then like to do more writing about our coalescing environmental dilemmas, perhaps something on climate change in the Midwest. We’ll see.
—Cornelia F. Mutel, editor, A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008
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