1. Adapting to Climate Change: Emergency Management Challenges David Thornton

2. Adapting to Climate Change  What is Climate Change? – CC101  Is the Climate in Minnesota Changing, and if so how?  What are the likely implications of a changing climate?

3.  The end of the world as we know it  The greatest hoax ever perpetrated upon mankind

4. Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of time. Climate can be contrasted to weather, which is the present condition of these same elements and their variations over periods up to two weeks.

5.  Weather ≠ climate  A single weather event cannot be linked to climate change  A season’s weather cannot be linked to climate change

8.  Warmer winters; higher minimum temperatures  Earlier spring  Shorter duration of ice cover  Greater frequency of “tropical” dew points  Greater annual precipitation  More days with rain  More frequent heavy rains  Increasing winter snowfall

15. Higher Temperatures Speeds up the water cycle More extreme weather events

17.  Pollution Control Agency  Department of Natural Resources  Department of Health  Department of Agriculture  Department of Transportation  Department of Commerce (Office of Energy Security)  Department of Public Safety (Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management)

18.  More spring flooding events  More frequent flash flooding events  Increased threat of waterborne disease  More invasive species  Accelerated extinction or extirpation of plant and animal species  Longer growing seasons  Changes in duration of allergy seasons; increased of respiratory illness  Chemical and biological changes to lakes and streams  Increased periods of drought

19.  More wildfire events  More extreme heat events, increasing the potential for heat- related illness or death  Changing special patterns and incidence of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases  Changes in established outdoor recreational opportunities  Lower water levels and changing shorelines on Lake Superior  Degradation of air quality  Changes in energy usage  Increased spending on infrastructure