Wisconsin winters at risk from climate change

Mark Peterson

Bayfi eld

Dear editor, This week, 40,000 people will be in the Cable-Hayward area for the 50th year of the annual American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race. Collectively, they will spend an estimated $20 million in the region for lodging, dining and entertainment.

Winter outdoor recreation is a boon to tourism with tremendous economic benefi ts whether it be ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing or snowshoeing, to name a few. The snow and cold weather also generates revenue for non-tourism activities such as snowplowing businesses. Indeed, beyond income, our very way of life is defined by the many winter activities that we all enjoy.

All this is at risk in the face of a warming climate which has been well documented in the state by University of Wisconsin scientists. For example, from 1950 to 2020, the state’s winter days warmed by three to four degrees, and winter nights have warmed between four and seven degrees. And examining Lake Mendota’s long ice record in Madison, the five years with the longest stretch of ice cover all occurred during the 1880s or earlier, and the five years with the shortest ice cover have all been since the 1980s.

Scientists predict that Wisconsin winters will resemble those in present-day northern Kansas by 2060.

I urge readers to take advantage of the new tax incentives to winterize our homes, install solar and consider the purchase an electric vehicle. And I urge Congress to show more leadership to address climate change so that in another 50 years, people will still be flocking to the Birkebeiner and enjoying Wisconsin winters.