Walz Looks for Minnesota to Lead Climate Innovation - Red River Farm Network
Walz Looks for Minnesota to Lead Climate Innovation | Red River Farm Network
Governor Tim Walz says Minnesota will be a leader in sustainable aviation fuel and climate-smart practices. A focus on research is credited. “Between the University of Minnesota and our commodity groups putting a lot of resources into that, we’re preparing,” said Walz. “Ag folks know the climate is changing but it’s not that the sky is falling. It’s how are we going to fix this and be part of the solution?” Walz is also hoping Congress can pass a farm bill that could include additional research funding.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”