Transcripts For CSPAN2 Effects Of Climate Change On Wildlife

Is that something that you want to speculate on . I think at already speculated. I will note that there is into the record and analysis. Looking at future power costs and actually anticipates their reaction. That is maybe for another hearing or another debate and discussion. Lets turn to our second panel if they could come forward. [inaudible conversations] welcome. It is great to have you all. Happy to introduce our second panel of witnesses. A Diverse Group including three individuals who will talk about how Climate Changes impacting their area of expertise and to minority witnesses who will present their perceptions on as Climate Change skeptics. I will go ahead and introduce everyone now. Then we will proceed with the testimony. Our first witnesses jamals which i am particularly delighted to have you here from oregon. Jim serves as the executive director of lake county resources initiative, an organization dedicated to improving Forest Management and National Forests expanding the barack communities. He has been a leader in forestry and clean energy in oregon. , as well as working to make and attract more biomass geothermal, hydra, us dollar, and energy. Our second witness is played both. A fourth generation we farmer and serves at the state Association Executive director of up, and association. And welcome. I third witness is denim . Commercial fishermen. It does business on on both coasts. Imam he also earned his ph. D. In forestry. He served as director for that Southern Forest Nursery Management cooperative. And a final witnesses said joined ssc a professor of charter fee. The former director for the center of Climatic Research at the university of delaware. Welcome everyone. The show is yours. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Fellow members. A privilege to be here and an honor. As said, my name is jim walls. Concentrating on federal forest lands and renewable energies. We are 70 land down. It is bigger than some eastern states. The past three decades we have suffered high unemployment, poverty rates and policies on nine National Forests. When discussing Climate Change, i can separate actions have passed Forest Management and impact of Climate Change. There will have the same effects. That is, as we take it to a moving that it amounted so it is back to the natural stand. That is also the strategy we need to use for Climate Change. Theyre intertwined. I would like to point out that over the past decade when has that meant in our forest . Well, in ten years the first fire was the tool box fire. We lost 100,000 acres. And then in 2012 we had a fire that burned 93,000 acres. And less than a decade we have now lost 24 percent of the free Fremont National forest. If we keep this rate up because fires are getting more intense because of the climate or warmer Climate Change. If we keep this up we will loose in three decades our entire forest, and i think that is a real and severe threat. It is not only a threat to our industry in timbre but a threat to our agricultural industry, too. We average ten to 20 percent moisture during the winter. Summers are hot and dry normally without that snowpack we do not have agriculture, irrigation water. All you have to do is look to our neighbors Klamath Basin and what will happen there. Even then, lake county we will see reduced irrigation rates because of the drought. Drops that we have never seen before. So i think, you know, the Climate Change, longterm, short term, all of that, i personally say it is here. The risk is way too high just to ignore. He might be right that it is not happening. I hope we dont go there. By using Renewable Energy i feel that we could offset that. We have developed a plan. All the ones that we have done an Economic Analysis and Feasibility Study on we will offset 93 percent of the fossil fuel emissions in one decade out of lake county and we will do it economically. So as we go forward with this debate i would hope that we look at the things like that that make economic sense. Can renewals compete with hydro, no. Kendis compete with other forms, cost is cheap, reducing all the time. Wind is there. As we invest in these more and more of them will become competitive. And it is a way to turn our jobs around. I asked you to, one thing, change the definition. The Renewable Energy. Not considered Renewable Energy source. That reduces our investment. To Companies Looking and looking in lake county. Hopefully one of us will make it. How Biomass Energy production company. Pleased to change that. Senate bill 536. Get that passed so we can change that definition. Does not make sense to me. The other thing i would like to say is when need to increase the scale of giving treatment. I mentioned, my full testimony about worse neighbors and for service. It is not because we dont know what to do but he now were getting down. We need to increase that three to 4,000 acres of land that is overstocked caught 20,000 acres per year. Whitney to get to 100,000 acres. Not just small. So we dont want to skip any environmental rules are do anything like that. We want to do it economically sound. We cannot get ahead of this or achieve our goals some if we do not doom needs to be done. As these fires did more intense and hot air we need to look at that. Senate bill 1875, i hope you endorse that bill and we get it through. It is far cheaper to treat the forest land than it is to suppress fire. And they are increasing. Another thing that Climate Change has done is keeps this note from hitting the ground. We get large amounts of aberration. Our snowpack is reduced. That is the other thing. I do see by implementing and doing common things such as Renewable Energy we can make some great impacts thank you. Thank you very much. Chairman, Ranking Member, thank you for coming today and speak about Climate Change and the challenges facing every culture on the southern plains. If you like the weather and no, wait a minute. What is different is the frequency and strength of the weather we are seeing. Her crazy weather has been put on steroids. The dry we have been suffering through is a perfect example of this and had a drastic impact on climate. We have seen a reduction of over 10 . By the first of this year the inventory in the United States and shrunk. Over 80 percent of these reductions happen in two states, of, and texas. The effects of the drought are not limited the livestock. No, we may be looking at the fourth year in a row where 50 percent of the states cotton will be abandoned. As bad as that is the real story is weak. This years wheat harvest is expected to be the lowest since 1957, estimated the amount of wheat harvested 2014 is 40 of 2013. 30 percent below 2012. This drop in production is not just due to the draft now this is not anything new. What is new is the frequency. The third time in five years the late freeze has impacted the wheat crop. The question is what do we do about it . The secret is in the soil. Improving the health of our soil is the kidnapping of agriculture to a mitigate and adapt to Climate Change. Organic matter former first and best line of defense. Every 1 percent increase in organic matter can triple the soils Water Capacity which equals an additional 25,000 gallons of water available per acre for growing crops. It incorporates cover crops. We can greatly increase the concentration while at the same time reducing the amount of moisture lost to evaporation when the land is exposed to the sun. Better weather. Exacerbated by Climate Change. M increases streamflow. We can erase sorrell erosion. This ballot protect the soil but reduces nonpoint source of pollution. In addition that same increase in organic matter can on average make available up to us 700 whatever additional nutrients. By improving the health of our soil we can help plans more effectively, help increase yields and feet and evergrowing planet and we do all this in no lowering Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Note till can sequester roughly half a metric ton of carbon per acre per year. Plans predetermine backside and readout oxygen. That is then stored in the soil in the form of organic matter. You help agriculture adapt to Climate Change was improve Water Quality value improve wildlife habitats, increase yields and at the same time sequester Carbon Dioxide in the soil. This is something we need to do. Usda as the ability to help producers do it. The funding for Technical Assistance continues to shrink. It was determined it was in the Public Interest to keep farm ground that tide is turning back. This same matter they address if they have the necessary resources. What kind of technology is best suited. It will go on realized if theyre not providing resources necessary. They tend to come together. As for the federal government to build small watershed dams. Oklahoma alone has over 2100 structures, most of which are in need of rehabilitation. When this takes place many could be made into reservoirs to help with water shortages and flash floods. With the passage of the farm bill funding was authorized to do this work. And they can only be used to compare existing structures. This is that have to be the case. One purpose is like Water Quality and quantity the see this program as another tool to help our country better adapt to Climate Change. In closing i would reiterate their facing serious challenges. They have a tools to cope. The question is will we take it. Thank you for allowing me to speak and i am happy answer questions. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you very much for their virginity to address the committee. The issue. The next generation. The selfish interest. Our industry has significantly impacted and is a harbinger of the consequences of human use of fossil fuels. And daniel cohen, a secondgeneration of fishing industry. Today we operate the east coast and west coast, facilities in new jersey, maryland, rhode island, massachusetts, and the Pacific Northwest. Focused. And in fisheries research, then made atlantic fish and National Fisheries service and cornell university. About 15 years ago recognizing the wild and make certain he we have sustainable harvests for the future. Tom there would not be enough protein for a growing population. The industry has begun to look more and more toward the ever culture to meet those rising needs. I would use examples today, what has happened to industry backed up with scientific research. I will do that with examples. We can talk more about others. These it examples are coming from three sources rising ocean the city from Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere going into the ocean. And changes in ocean currents which they ascribe to changes in temperature. We serve on the east coast. And the fishery in North Carolina has rebound. The fishery was historic plea from the coast of virginia to new jersey. It landed over 50 percent through the entire country. The number one ingredient in clam chowder which was and is the number one areas in the country. Bottom temperature why is identified after National Fisheries Service Survey determined virginia, rutgers and then it was determined it was due to body temperature changes. Cooler waters, greater responses. Opened in massachusetts and rhode island showing a shift in the population and clams due to a temperature rise. And there for a change in jobs. Move quickly. The Pacific Northwest a large Ocean Acidification. Documenting over a hundred million dollars. Now having to buy for their water the way you do with toms. Ocean certification. The only way they have been able to have successful actress in the last three years because of major problems in the mid 2000s were rediscovered the problem coming from russia and the city. In 2013 in British Columbia there was a major gaffe of 90 percent of all the scallops being raised offshore. Three year classs were killed. My company sustained a 10 million loss. Continually researching right now, scientists believe that the highest level of Ocean Acidification last summer weekend the animals more susceptible to endemic disease. In terms of the fishery you have that evidence in my written testimony, mostly documented by an article being released today by the daily planet documenting work by National Fisheries service documenting temperature great changes in the east coast affecting the migration and distribution. Completely rebuilt because of Good Management practice, but because the distribution of those moving slowly north the traditional white, now being faced off of new york and further north and therefore theyre is a user now statebystate allocation and the recreational and commercial, consequence of changing distribution due to documenting bottom change. I believe it is irrefutable that Climate Change is happening. Similar to what was testified here to adapt. These i just examples that we must say to be agents of change. Thank you. Ill be happy to answer questions. Thank you, mr. Kaelin. It is a privilege to provide you with my views on forests and wild fire. They know that there are many examples on how human activity affects the total number and size of wild fires. Policymakers, active force management and calgary and harvesting jobs, and up contributing to a buildup of tools in the forest. This eventually increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. To attribute this human cause increased Carbon Dioxide emissions is simply unscientific in todays world accuracy really does not seem to matter new. I am therefore not surprised to see many journalists spreading the idea that Carbon Emissions cause large wild fires. Theyre is a ball nonpoint called serenity prayer. It states god grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can and the wisdom to know the difference. Now that i am 65 realize that i cannot change the behavior of the media and i cant change the web. Early in that year i gave up jack to see the media. Well under insured claims about the underlying cause of wildfires some spread like wildfire. The statement that wild fires in 2012, a record 9 million acres cited in numerous articles and found that more than 2,000 websites. As you can see by looking at the graph wild fires in the 30s burned more than four times that rate. We get a positive relationship. Neither of these relationships proves anything about Carbon Dioxide on wildfires since during dry season coming human activity is an overwhelming factor that determines the number and size of wildflowers. In the 48 states, thereve been about 10 extreme megafires. And they occurred during the cool decades. These data suggest extremely large megafires were four times more common before 1940, back when Carbon Dioxide concentrations were less than 310 parts per million. Looks to me like we cannot reasonably say that man made Global Warming causes extremely large wildfires. Seven years ago, this Committee Conducted a hearing about Climate Change and wildfires wasnt even mentioned in that meeting. But hurricanes, droughts, where mentioned a number of times. I am pleased to provide you with my forest reviews because unlike polar vortex, droughts, we can permit practices that will reduce the risk of wildfires. Unfortunately, some of our national Forest Management policies have in my view contributed to increasing the risk of wildfires. I am certain that attempts to legislate a change in the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere will have no effect on reducing the size of wildfires for the frequency of droughts. In contrast, allowing Forest Management practices to create economically lasting forestry jobs might reduce the fuel loads of damp forest in years when demand for Renewable Resources are high, increasing the numbers of harvesting times might actually have a real impact on reducing wildfires. A thank you for the opportunity to address the subcommittee. Thank you very much, dr. Dr. South. Dr. Legates. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Carbon dioxide is a play of food. The global temperature should rise further reason, the length of the season will be increased the amount of diversity crops enhance. The big problem however is the limiting factor for arboriculture in much of the world as water availability. Wish her the war