As the Senate gears up to vote on the climate bill, which narrowly passed through the House on Friday, I really hope they take a good look at the new government study that shows that the impact of climate change is already being felt across the United States.  I would like to think our Senators have more far-sighted aims in mind to motivate them, like preserving the planet for future generations and creating green jobs to revive the economy, but perhaps more immediate threats to their own backyards will help. The report from the United States Global Change Research Program indicates that the speed and severity of the impact of climate change on “farms and forests, coastlines and floodplains, water and energy supplies, transportation and human health”, will depend on how quickly we act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

While many of the changes that are happening have been frequently discussed, including more powerful tropical storms and eroding coastlines, the New York Times points out that the study highlights the ripple effects that are being wrought by climate change:

Reduced mountain snowpack means earlier melt-offs and reduced stream volumes across the West and Northwest, affecting residential and agricultural water supplies, habitats for spawning fish and reduced hydroelectric power generation, the study found.

If carbon emissions continue unabated and we don’t shift to a clean energy economy, we will not only be dealing with these problems that have already begun to appear, but also with the exponential ramifications of a planet out of balance.  If that’s not enough motivation for the Senate to take action, I’m going to suggest grounding them for life.  Perhaps President Obama’s positive reinforcement will help, but something tells me we need a “good cop-bad cop routine” to get things moving.

Photo: laffy4k’s flickr photostream (creative commons)