Scientists based in Iowa sent a letter to presidential candidates urging them to acknowledge the reality of climate change and implement "appropriate policy responses" to the threat, reports The Hill.
31 scientists from 22 Iowan universities signed the letter.
"I believe it is important for Iowans to know that scientists who live and work in communities across our state understand that climate change is real and has serious implications for our future," says David Courard-Hauri, assistant professor of environmental science and policy at Drake University. "This is an issue that all candidates for elected office, from city council to President of the United States, should acknowledge and address through public policy."
The letter says Iowa is already experiencing the effects of climate change in changes to rainfall patterns, for example, which will negatively impact agriculture – a lynchpin of Iowa’s economy.
The letter says, in part:
"All major scientific societies and the US National Academy of Science have affirmed that the recent rise in greenhouse gases in the global atmosphere has contributed to changes in our climate. We urge all candidates for public office at national, state, and local levels to acknowledge the overwhelming balance of evidence for the underpinning causes of climate change, to develop appropriate policy responses, and to develop local and statewide strategies to adapt to near-term changes in climate."
Jon Huntsman is the only GOP presidential candidate that acknowledges climate change; the others see it as a "green conspiracy."
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