Report: MN warming faster than most states

Minnesota is warming faster than most other states, according to a new report from the non-profit group Climate Central.

Climate Central is a science and journalism organization whose mission is to communicate science to the public.

The group analyzed government temperature records for the last 100 years, and says Minnesota is warming faster than all but two other states — Arizona and Michigan.

Richard Wiles, vice president for strategic communications and director of research for Climate Central, said along with higher temperatures, climate change brings other disruptions.

"Potential mass extinctions, sea level rise, which doesn't affect Minnesota, but potential areas of chronic drought where we may not be able to grow food for people the way we do now. The price of food could increase dramatically," Wiles said. "There's all sorts of impacts that can happen."

Since 1970, Minnesota has warmed by .6 degrees Fahrenheit per decade. Wisconsin is right behind. The report said overall, the continental U.S. has warmed by about 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 100 years. But during the same period, Minnesota warmed by about 2.3 degrees.

The fastest-warming regions are the northern tier states and the southwest. Wiles said there's no scientific agreement about why different regions are warming faster than others.

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