Montana Launches Climate Change Website

All over the world, people are coming together and recognizing the threats of global climate change. The same is true in Montana. People are asking questions, reviewing the data, wondering about the future and looking for ways to change the outcome.

On April 22, Earth Day 2008, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality,(DEQ), launched the Montana Climate Change website at http://www.MontanaClimateChange.mt.gov .

"We created this site so that people both from Montana, and anywhere else in the world, will have a convenient place to find credible data and resources about how climate change is impacting the state.," said Richard Opper, Director of the DEQ. "I also wanted a place where people could start finding answers to the challenges we will face and ways that they can make a difference."

The new website features information and actions to reduce carbon contributions. Tips and resources on the website are directed to homeowners, commercial places of business, agriculture, and even industrial settings. An education area is available for students and teachers and features the Montana Climate Change Test. There are several carbon footprint calculators available on the site to let visitors assess their own impacts on greenhouse gas emissions.

Visitors to the site will be able to learn how key sectors of the Montana economy may be affected by a changing climate including: agriculture, transportation, tourism, and energy supply. The site also examines climate change and its impacts on the valuable natural resources of forestry, water, and wildlife. Recommendations from the Governor’s Climate Change Advisory Committee’s Final Report have been added to each section.

While there is already a great deal of information on the site now, more will be added on a frequent basis so visitors are encouraged to bookmark the site and check back often.