Nebraska Legislature Will Face Gut-Wrenching Task Of . . . Authorizing A Non-Binding Climate Study

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Nebraskans know well the destructive power of weather. Take the catastrophic flood in 2019 that caused $3.4 billion in damage, or the 2012 flash drought that sucked $4 billion out of the state. Or the 2.5-mile-wide tornado that smashed into Hallam in 2004. But that’s not what keeps Nebraska’s climate scientists up at night. Instead, it’s the knowledge that as bad as things have been, Nebraska’s weather will become more extreme because of global warming. And the state needs to prepare.

For that reason, they, Nebraska youths and others have joined with a group of state senators to make an 11th hour push for the Legislature to pass a climate action plan this session, which resumes Monday. And they’re seeking the public’s help, asking that people contact their senators to support Legislative Bill 283, which would fund a study that has stalled for a number of years.

“The implications of this are just incredible for our state — our economy, our social fabric, the health and well-being of Nebraskans,” said Don Wilhite, a retired University of Nebraska-Lincoln climate scientist who founded UNL’s Drought Mitigation Center. “We are going to see more and more extreme events,” he said. Devastating summers like 2012 will become routine in the lifetime of today’s children, he said. Extreme rains, which generate flooding, are already on the increase, research and experience has shown, as the atmosphere becomes soggier as a result of global warming.

To pass, the proposal needs the votes of 25 of the 49 state senators, and it would need 33 votes to overcome a filibuster. “We need people to support this. We’ve seen what extreme events can do to Nebraska,” said Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the original sponsor of the bill.

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https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska-legislators-scientists-make-11th-hour-bid-for-climate-change-study/article_30a1074c-0f14-5f5e-a77a-947e355898eb.html