He's working on a federal report about the impacts of climate change and says that,
...it builds upon previous research suggesting that climate changes are already occurring in the United States and that the climate throughout the U.S. is projected to continue to change significantly throughout the century as the result of the effects of human activities.He explains that it's about more than simple warming.
Threats to human health from the projected climate changes include concerns about heat stress, water-borne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents. One of the key concerns in the Midwest is the increased likelihood of multi-day heat waves; our studies suggest that week-long heat waves like the one in 1995 that resulted in hundreds of deaths in the Chicago area will become much more common.It's refreshing to see a serious interview about climate change from an expert after the gluttony of talk radio crackpots, industry engineers, and scientists with no expertise in climatology that conservatives are pushing in the media. A review of 928 scientific papers on climate change found that none contradicted the consensus view that human activity is responsible for climate change. In contrast, it's presented by the press as an ongoing question open to debate.
A news outlet, like our daily paper, becomes part of the problem when they suggest that an accountant who does nothing more than repeat discredited, spoon-fed "questions" from their favorite talk radio show, has the same level of credibility as over 2,000 scientists who participated in the UN commission and the overwhelming scientific consensus. Labeling something an opinion piece shouldn't be an excuse to disregard facts and publish deceptive propaganda without correction.
Presenting this as a debate between two equal sides isn't balance. It's a distortion.