Letters to Share, Nov-Dec 2015

Dear Friends,

FCNL is doing great work to shift the political environment and get Republicans to cosign a bipartisan resolution that climate change is real and that we must act to reduce carbon emissions so that other important climate change legislation can happen. They have a Republican, Rep. Chris Gibson (NY), who has come out of the closet to declare that and others are about to sign on due to the efforts of Jose and Emily. I just returned from FCNL. Jose Aguto and Emily Wirzba gave excellent updates on FCNL work. It was good to see them again and to again appreciate how they represent us in DC.

I found out that General Mills and Cargill support a carbon tax now because they understand that many of their operations around the world will be in the wrong places as the climate warms without emission reductions. For example, Dr. Jerry Hatfield, the director of the USDA Climate and Environment Laboratory in Ames, Iowa indicated at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science that climate models predict that night temperatures by 1940 in the Midwest could be in the 90s at night and that would sterilize corn pollen making corn production impossible. This change could bring the corn processing industry to a screeching halt in most of the US and devastate the Midwestern economy. Jose and Emily reported that many influential business leaders are coming out in support of a carbon tax on fossil fuel production with revenues used to offset increased costs of fuel for ordinary people.

I spoke to a really wonderful group of Master Gardeners in Marshalltown, Iowa recently. They already were planning to plant a butterfly garden next spring so my talk was timely. I will be speaking to my oldest son’s Biology classes at Iowa Mennonite High School soon. I will be praying for Jose and our 4 QEW representatives who are going to Paris.

Blessings to all,

Jim Kessler

Grinnell Friends Meeting