Global Warming in Delaware
Delaware braces for global warming - 07/30/08
Should global warming and resultant sea level rise continue unchecked, naturalists and researchers said all that will remain of Delaware will be four fingers of land, each three miles long stretching south from the Pennsylvania state line.
Willett Kempton, professor of marine studies at the University of Delaware, said the worst-case scenario is predicated on the loss of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. By overlaying data from melting ice sheets onto an elevation map, he was able to peer into the future of the state.
"It's not some impossible, wild thing," Kempton said, noting that the ice in Greenland and western Antarctica will likely disappear without a substantial reduction in greenhouse gases.
Laura Baldwin and Lowell Markey, Delaware Seashore State Park naturalists, compiled the research of scientists like Kempton into a presentation about global warming's impact on the state.
A 23-inch sea level rise expected by 2100 from melting mountain glaciers, they said, would inundate much of the park and wetlands east of Milton and Dover.
The result of a 49-foot sea rise, anticipated with the melting of the Western Antarctic ice sheet, is expected to leave a narrow corridor of land straddling the western Delaware-Maryland state line. The last remains of Sussex County would be a scattering of small, isolated islands.
Delaware Nature Conservancy Hosts Program Featuring - 03/12/08
Climate change and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative were the focus of The Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy's second annual Legislative Luncheon today in Dover. Guest speaker Bill Stanley, TNC Director of Global Climate Change discussed the effects of climate change on Delaware's environment and suggested proposals to reduce carbon emissions through upcoming Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative legislation supported by the Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
"Delaware's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative gives us an opportunity to reduce emissions of heat trapping gasses such as CO2 in Delaware and support climate change adaptation projects," said Roger Jones, chapter director. "Our goal for these annual luncheons is to share information on our legislative priorities with members of the general assembly and our partners. We are excited to have Bill Stanley talk to us this year."
The guest speaker, Bill Stanley, Director of Global Climate Change for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), outlined major activities that produce the culprit emissions. Stanley both assured and challenged the audience when he said, "We have a good handle on what is causing climate change, and need to make some tough choices now to protect ourselves and future generations."
He cited the positive effects of the work of TNC conservation field staff and applauded Delaware for its participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Del. global warming skeptic stands pat - 02/01/07
Delaware's state climatologist has found himself in the middle of a political squall after taking skeptical stands on global warming and climate change -- in one case directly contradicting the state's own policy.
David R. Legates, a University of Delaware geography professor, co-wrote a "friend of the court" brief that opposed Delaware's position in a multi-state U.S. Supreme Court case.
In the appeal, state regulators argued that carbon dioxide from new cars should be regulated because of evidence the gas was contributing to rising global temperatures, climate shifts and changes in the environment. The Bush administration and industry critics opposed the demand, saying the dire warnings are unproven.
Delaware has accepted the view human activities contribute to global warming, and changes are needed to curb risks of sea level rise and climate change. The state adopted a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2000.
Federal scientists have long warned that sea-level increases could be most pronounced along the mid-Atlantic, including the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay.
