Curious about climate change? The Conservancy has a new interactive Web tool, the Climate Wizard, that enables you to see regional projections for climate change. Washington could heat up by more than 7 degrees from climate change by the end of the century— threatening salmon, forests and our quality of life.

We talk about global impacts of rising temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns— where and when the rain falls. But to bring it to life, scientists at the Conservancy, the University of Washington, and the University of Southern Mississippi developed the Climate Wizard.

You can look at projections yourself for your part of Washington, or anywhere else in the world that you are interested in. Check it out at www.climatewizard.org.

Among the changes Washington would experience under the temperature increases projected by the Conservancy’s analysis are:

• Loss of salmon runs because of rising stream temperatures and altered river flows
   
• Catastrophic wildfires devastating the forests and grasslands of Eastern Washington
   
• Greatly reduced snow accumulation in the Cascade Mountains, affecting water supplies for drinking, recreation, irrigation and hydroelectric power
   
• Glacial retreat

What Can We Do in Washington?

Karen Anderson, Washington Director for the Conservancy, says that action can be taken on the ground now to combat the impacts of climate change and protect Washington’s communities and natural resources.

The Conservancy is working on the Skagit River and elsewhere in Washington to preserve and restore vital habitat for salmon, to make it more resilient to increasing temperatures and greater storm frequency. In Eastern Washington, we are working with partners to increase the forest’s resilience to catastrophic fire and protect people and wildlife habitat.

Everyone can make a difference, she said. “Here are three things you can do,” she said. “Change your lightbulbs. Bike more, drive less. And be engaged in the political process.”

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on energy and climate legislation this fall. The Conservancy supports creation of a federal cap-and-trade system that includes tough timelines and targets for emissions reductions.

Cool Green Science

Jonathan Hoekstra, director of the Conservancy’s Climate Change Team, says climate change is going to get personal for everyone – read his entry on our Cool Green Science blog.

And, click here to read our press release about the Climate Wizard and the change we can expect to see in Washington.

Nature picture credits (left to right): Photo © Bridget Besaw (Conservancy ecologist measures sea-level rise at Port Susan Bay); Photo © Bridget Besaw (Conservancy scientist measures tree resiliency in the East Cascades).