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DNR Quietly Changes Climate Change Stance

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The state D-N-R no longer blames "human activities" for the heat trapping greenhouse gases which cause climate change.

An agency web page about the Great Lakes now says the reasons for earth's change are being "debated and researched by academic entities." Walker environmental critic and former local leader and news reporter James Rowan uncovered the position change in his blog.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the D-N-R quietly deleted language eight days ago about an agreement from scientists that the Great Lakes would have longer summers, shorter winters, less ice cover, and changes in rain and snow patterns if climate change trends continue.

Environmentalists say the state has diminished the importance of climate change ever since Republican Governor Scott Walker took office in 2011 -- but the D-N-R says it's been adapting its position for years -- and it still believes it must respond to stresses from droughts, flooding, and wind events.

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