Noted U ecologist pushes for climate change legislation

A University of Minnesota scientist says Minnesota is already suffering from the impacts of climate change.

Lee Frelich, the director of the U of M's Center for Hardwood Ecology, has published academic papers on how warming is affecting Minnesota's north woods.

Now he's teaming up with the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group, to bring scientific information to members of Congress and various interest groups.

He points to the wild weather Minnesota experienced last summer -- heat, drought, and floods.

"And so for this one summer we have a glimpse of what a typical summer might be like several decades from now," Frelich said.

While no single event can be attributed to a disrupted climate, humans have changed the earth's atmosphere so much that practically everything that happens can be attributed to that human impact, Frelich said.

Frelich said he met with a national farm group and found some common ground.

"It actually does work when you sit down with people and give good quality information," Frelich said. "It actually does work to tell people the truth."

Frelich said Minnesota's quality of life will suffer as the climate warms, and farmers will have a harder and harder time coping with extreme weather.

Frelich has spoken with both Minnesota senators about his research. The Union of Concerned Scientists wants Congress to pass climate change legislation.