New Climate Analysis Shows The Heat Is On In Montana

Cutting-edge tool lets users track climate changes taking place at the local level.

August 27, 2009

This year, Montanans were mostly spared the bone-dry heat and smoky skies that have marked many past summers; but we should not expect that respite to continue. A new analysis by The Nature Conservancy shows that average spring temperatures in the state have already risen

4^◦ F in the last 55 years. And some projections show that average annual temperatures in the state could warm 4 times faster over the next 55 years. That kind of change could spell trouble for everything from the state’s multi-billion dollar agricultural economy, to local anglers who find a favorite stream closed due to high water temperatures.

With the Climate Wizard (www.climatewizard.org), people, for the first time ever, can track various climate predictions on their own personal computers. The tool offers interactive maps for every state as well as global locations.

“Whether it’s the food we put on the table, or the wildlife that makes Montana such a special place, this study shows that none of us will escape the impacts of our changing climate.” says Kat Imhoff, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Montana. “But, we have the power to reduce some of the impacts and help both people and nature adapt to the changes that have already begun. If we fail to act now, our children and grandchildren will be living in a very different place – one that may be unrecognizable in 100 years.”

Among the impacts on Montana from the projected temperature changes:

Drier forests more susceptible to pest infestation and wildfire
Thinner snowpack affecting winter recreation and decreasing stream quality for trout and other game species
Drier soils increasing irrigation demands for agriculture and putting fisheries at risk as more water is used for human needs

Some of the ways The Nature Conservancy in Montana is tackling the challenges:

Conserving grasslands and forests, both to reduce generation of greenhouse gases and to potentially capture carbon over the long-term
Working with landowners on ways to use water most efficiently, and conserve agriculture and habitat
Protecting watersheds to help retain water for summer stream flows
Conserving intact habitat so wildlife have options to adapt to changes in their existing ranges
Managing forests to reduce the risk of damaging wildfire

(See the Montana Chapter’s Climate Change Case Statement and Facts on Climate Change in Montana for more detail.)

The Conservancy’s temperature analysis looked at three emission scenarios based on low, medium and high rates of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere over the next 100 years. With Climate Wizard, users can zoom in on Montana to quickly see how temperatures and precipitation may change by month, season or year under different emission scenarios.

Scientists warn that a global temperature increase of the 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C) or more will lead to irreversible impacts to the Earth’s lands, waters, wildlife and human communities.

The US Senate is scheduled to vote on energy and climate legislation this fall.

For more information contact: Bebe Crouse, bcrouse@tnc.org 406-579-8559 or 586-5491.

Learn more about The Nature Conservancy in Montana at nature.org/montana

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.