Letter to the Editor: Climate change will affect agriculture in Montana

Editor:

Climate change is harming Washington’s shellfish industry. According to its Department of Health: “As CO2 reacts with seawater, it lowers pH and reduces the concentration of carbonate ions … .”

Shellfish are less likely to form shells in an acidic environment. That endangers this valuable high-protein, low-fat food source. Evidence of ocean acidification in the Pacific Northwest is compelling. Some can be found online at http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/ClimateandHealth/Shellfish.

Also, harmful algal blooms usually increase during warmer months. These blooms produce poisonous biotoxins. When molluscan shellfish eat the algae, the toxin remains in their systems. It can cause illness or death in humans and other mammals who eat shellfish.

Nevertheless, some in Montana’s political parties say Washington’s Gov. Jay Inslee should have vetoed a bill facilitating phase-out of Colstrip 1 and 2 owned by Washington utilities.

Their pleas ignore the fact that Inslee, must "stand up for Washington’s shellfish industry and a Montana food source," which will lose jobs as we burn more coal.

For the rest of us, it's "Stand up for Montana Agriculture" because we'll lose 24,000 jobs in farming and ranching if we continue overheating the earth by producing too much CO2, http://montanafarmersunion.com/montana-farmers-union-report-climate-change, could cost montana-agriculture industry almost 25,000 jobs and $726 million over the next 50 years.

So, we must transition to no-fuel-cost electricity.

We support I-180 at http://www.mtcares.org as a start.

Elsie Tuss and Russell Salisbury

farmers

Floweree