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October 18, 2005
Sound the Alarm
Puget Sound's health is jeopardized by climate change, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Washington. Find the (surprisingly good) media coverage here, here, and here.
Posted by Eric de Place | Permalink
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Comments
Just got my hard copy today. I'm a little disappointed. Most of this stuff is info we've already heard. If this is supposed to be a compendium of the available science, I guess it's OK to have the story in one place, but it's very light on what to _do_ about any of this.
Certainly this report isn't going to galvanize action, as we already know everything in there.
So maybe I'm asking: why was it produced?
Posted by: Dan Staley | Oct 19, 2005 12:24:52 PM
Hey Dan, I think those are pretty good questions to be asking. I know that Climate Impacts Group, the UW researchers behind much of the stuff in the report, likes to keep themselves at arm's length from policy prescriptions. It seems to me that climate scientists (and other scientists too) are in a real pickle: if they push reforms, they get politicized; if they just report the facts, they get ignored.
But I'm feeling Pollyanna today. That report dominated the front page in both Seattle dailies and I saw it on two of the three local network news hours last night. That kind of coverage may act as a catalyst for reforms in longer-term ways. For one, it helps convince the people (the electorate) that there are serious ecological problems related to climate change. At the moment, I'm hopeful that will pay dividends at some point in the future.
Posted by: Eric de Place | Oct 19, 2005 2:48:00 PM