why me
why am I here today top our life's journey
my journey started on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin
we had one Kyle I remember writer name was Mabel and I'm not mabel every
morning every night to most my youth
that was meant for the household I think I'm a farm kid
at heart finished high school went to college one year that really didn't work
out very well
so I thought I do something different i join the Marines so I could go to
vietnam
her life's journey men went back to college
for a long time earned a PHD became a member the faculty at Cornell University
where we deliver knowledge with public purpose
but now I hold a leadership position that incredible institution
and I have a responsibility to see the big picture
the thirty thousand foot you I can study the trees the trees
I need feeding tire forced and I see something in much like
the slogan from Homeland Security I'm here today
to say something if you see something say something.
I am here today to say something about a rapidly warming planet but I'm also here
because
I'm a father have to her two daughters aged 26
in 30 climate changes personal
now it's your turn I like you all think of someone you care deeply about
much younger than yourself niece nephew grandchild now whisper their name
was preparing say it aloud now
yell it out might yell out that name don't forget that name
when you hear read think about climate change it personal
it's their future we're talking about the facts
the truth about climate change it's real
it is happening and we are the cause
we need to get over there we are well be on
debates and it's not a natural cycle they're gonna come around
and everything will be back to normal nope monitored rectory
unless we start to make major changes quickly the facts about climate change
that
orange ban is called the proper sphere it's part of the earth
atmosphere that's where we live it's only about seven miles high
in the greenhouse gas concentration in that little
blanket has been church right burt thousands of years
so that the temperatures have been right for us to grow the food we need to build
our communities our great cities
but were messin with a big time chart here shows from
the last 1000 years and if you're not towards the end of that period in the
eighteen hundreds
when the industrial revolution kicked him we started to burn more and more
fossil fuels oil coal and gas
carbon dioxide won the primary greenhouse gases concentrations have
gone up
rather strikingly were now forty percent higher in concentration of greenhouse
gas a carbon tax that we should be
right 400 part per million were headed to 450
somebody experts say that's taken this into dangerous territory
and if we do nothing business as usual we will reach 900 parts per million by
the into the century that is really hot
average global temperatures will be eight degrees warmer for us in the
Northeast that's potentially sixty days
above 95 ice
melts when it gets warm and we've had a lot of warmer temperatures warm
temperatures recently
ice is a superb indicator of climate change
ice ash no questions listens to no debates
presents no arguments is not burdened by ideology
more political baggage when it changes from a solid to liquid
it just melts and we are
im the great melt with a few exceptions
glaciers worldwide are helping the retrieving
that young person you might want to take in Glacier National Park relatively soon
because in a few decades it'll just be National Park
the bleachers will be gone recent report on the Antarctic
massive glaciers there on the movie reversibly
when they melt maybe a hundred years maybe 200 begin at 4 feet to the seal
soul whole meltwater going into the oceans causing sea level rise
but there something even more simple warm water expands
so as the oceans warm that simply picking up more space
know the reason sea levels are rising but there something more ominous going
on in the oceans
they're becoming acidic because absorbing
more and more carbon dioxide and that's a problem
if you're a creature that need to shell in recent years and claps as
voiced her hatcheries along the northwest coast
they didn't know what it was meant discovered the sea water in the tanks
was too acidic they can crack for that but think across the vast oceans
and that acidity is starting to affect
the food chain little worrisome closer to home
we've had a 71 percent increase
in New any precipitation events must think downpours
since the late 50s I think we've all experienced that fifty miles from here
pinion five inches of rain in four hours
Islip on Long Island thirteen and a half inches a ring
in 24 hours this is happening more and more frequently
nothing trying to be a farmer
you got enough challenges new past
but now that more extremes in the weather begun usual frost
the downpour than the drought this pope from a new york farmer
says it all as a farmer you can weather the storm but you can't whether
continues let's take this to a rush
revolve into a rush from
you open up the wine list of you get wine from just about anyplace in the
world
not necessarily for that younger person when they grow up
grapes are very sensitive to changes in temperature
and that's happening that wine list will be very different
when they grow up this is what I
but he won't talk about because I love my coffee a Special Op in the morning
but let's just go to Costa Rica
writing temperatures they grow coffee on the mountainside
I'll well let's move the plantation up the site sided mom
through her later you're on a mountainside it's a big deal in Costa
Rica it's one of the major
export crops yields are dropping grains to produce our breads
pastas in general consensus is
yields will not keep up to demand well as we help for farmers adapt
innovate it'll get worse into the future
trial love cold water streams Coldwater springs
are warming story tells at all
ice cream melts one gets warm that's not the point hot
house give less no you're something else we can help with
but it's another challenge and let slip the California
enormous or so far from fruit and vegetables
there in their fourth year for severe drought energy really strong evidence
that this was caused by climate change
in the future for the west is prior taken together
just how secure is our food supply
in coming years here's a great solution
so what do we do barrier had I like the other one
me where or
we can take the steps offered by Mary pay for in her book
the green boat it a book about hope but I'm a planetary
aware we can all become where I read my first book ten eleven years ago
a climate change par that leadership role I have and read many since
lot a good literature out there bottom line we need to keep this
heed the science it is solid acceptance
music analogy to cancer you've just had
three opinions you got cancer it's regressive
need to be treated I think we would all treatment accept that
as the diagnosis but what if you had the opportunity to visit with one hundred
specialist
in ninety-seven said you got a problem
you need to be treated right away I think we would act the same thing
applies to climate change
97 percent are the experts say
we've got a problem we need to act the diagnosis
missing acting we can all do something
start your day pause look around what can I do differently today
pick the bus turn off the lights help others become
aware this is challenging it's an uphill battle
but we need speak up raise our voices raise your voice
at your community meetings your school's replace a fake
what can you lose remember that younger person
what we need is a great awakening
in this country a social movement like we've never
ever seen before and just maybe
on September 21st in York City it started
with the climate change March I was there this is a photo I took
why ru waiting for to start the highlight
that marks for me was the moment of silence
400 people 400,000 people
money and then the roar started the war started at the beginning the March
in came through like a wave like a surgeon's incredible it motivated us
it inspired gave us hope don't ever forget
why we need to raise our voice
intact don't forget that younger person but you
mentioned earlier on your nephew ninja grandchild it's personal
so I hope my comments have inspired you to begin to act
to raise your voice but this grand challenge it is
the most important thing that we can do
at this stage in our lives journey
thank you