Mass Fish Die-Offs Are the New Normal: Climate Change Shuts Down a Montana River
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/3...-montana-river
"People keep referring to 'abnormal' conditions and 'extreme' events," Alsentzer said. "Those abnormal conditions and extreme events are not a temporary situation and they are no longer abnormal. The years of high snowpack, strong and stable run-off and resilient rivers are now the abnormal years. The future is here, this is happening to all of us, this is the new normal."
To many, the fish kill is a symptom of an ecosystem in crisis. Montana, similar to the rest of the western United States, is already experiencing serious impacts from climate change. The state is hotter and drier; snowpack is decreasing; wildfires are becoming more severe and begin sooner; spring run-off from the mountains happens earlier every year; and there is less water in the rivers. Montana has already warmed 2 degrees Celsius and is expected to experience a temperature rise of 4 to 5 degrees Celsius by 2055. A 2 degree C rise is already causing dramatic changes to the West's river systems.
"The conditions that are giving rise to these events are no longer temporary," Alsentzer said. "We need to come around the table and talk about the facts. What are the new realities that cannot be debated? Our rivers are a shared public trust resource. We all need to be talking about how we can do better."
"If we really want to protect rivers like the Yellowstone, we need to kick our addiction to fossil fuels and stop raising the planet's thermostat. This is a huge problem that requires a serious political solution. Wishful thinking and band-aids aren't going to cut it. Citizens need to wake up and demand that Congress take climate change seriously."