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What Are Iowans Doing To Adapt To Climate Change?

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River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer

Human-induced climate change is posing an ever-greater threat to our future. So what are we going to do about it?

Higher temperatures. Longer droughts. More flash floods. A report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed that humans using fossil fuels caused the oceans and land to warm, making life in places like Iowa harder.

"What has changed is that we didn't use to have major — and I mean four to five-inch — rains," said Jill Euken, who farms near Atlantic, Iowa. "When I was a kid, we'd have two-inch rains but not four inches or five inches."

Climate Change on River To River: Experts Break Down New Report On Climate Change And Impact On Iowa

On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer talks with Iowans dealing with challenges and implementing solutions. He speaks with a farmer about her effort to sequester carbon and two watershed coordinators about their efforts to build more resilient ecosystems in the state.

Guests:

  • Jill Euken, retired deputy director of the Iowa Bioeconomy Institute
  • David Stein, watershed coordinator for Prairie Rivers of Iowa
  • John Rathbun, Clear Creek watershed coordinator for Iowa Watershed Approach
Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Zachary Oren Smith
Zachary Oren Smith is a reporter covering Eastern Iowa