In Minnesota, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. But what excuse can we make for poor air quality?
Our air quality has seldom been this bad. Just a few weeks ago, we had one of the longest air quality alerts on state record: more than 6 days.
Like many Minnesotans, I cursed Canada’s wildfires. Instead, I should blame climate change – which as Mr. Helmberger highlighted in his recent article, is causing drier summers. While Eighth District Rep. Pete Stauber thinks harvesting more trees will solve that problem, Helmberger is correct: it’s a naive non-solution.
Removing older trees that hold carbon leaves behind needles and branches that are excellent kindling for wildfire. We must keep the Roadless Rule intact to protect Minnesota’s forests from continued development. Rep. Stauber needs to listen to science and his constituents. We want wild forests and clean air for generations to come.
Katelynn Rolfes
St. Paul