“Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents and they from their parents. It is in our hands whether our children and their children inherit the same world.”

– Richard Branson

Northwest suburban families and residents are at risk from rising global temperatures as well as poor water and air quality. These risks have far reaching impact on our health and quality and life. Just to name a few….

Economic Impact:

• Home owner insurance rates in Minnesota are going up faster than almost anywhere else in the U.S., and the reason is increasing frequency of severe wind and hail storms
• Increasing State costs to repair and clean up after natural disasters causing strain on state and local budgets.
• Risk to local jobs employed by local winter recreation businesses such as Polaris, Arctic Cat and other restaurants, suppliers, etc that support these activities.

Recreation:

• Warmer winters mean earlier ice out and snow melt, winter recreation such as snowmobiling, ice fishing, skiing, snowshoeing, etc..

Health:

• Lyme disease is growing because the decline of frigid winter nights means ticks survive winter much more regularly.
• Allergies: ragweed pollen season is now 21 days longer than it was 20 years ago
• Increased health risks as water and air quality decreases.

Local wildlife:

•  Decline of moose, lynx and other MN iconic populations as their habitat decreases due to changing environment due to climate change
• MN birds in decline as the weather changes in our state, they stay further north closer to food sources and comfortable temperatures.

Our state and local environment is changing. The Minnesota that we grew up in and enjoy today will not be what our children and children’s children experience if trends continue.