1.  Every two to seven years there is a natural warming of Pacific Ocean water (El Niño) contributing to planetary temperature swings that often result in milder winters for Minnesota and trillions in damage worldwide from floods and droughts.  But this year's El Niño is expected to break all records, nudging up global temperatures and causing dry spells and crop failures on multiple continents.  University of Michigan researchers have found a 37% increase in El Niño intensity compared with a preindustrial baseline from 1000 to 1850, with the four extreme "Super El Niños" since 1982 rated as unprecedented over the last 10 centuries.  92% of man-made warming from burning fossil fuels is going into our oceans, which then affects air temperatures.  For 2027 we can expect even stronger storms, drier dry spells and fiercer wildfires as the heat from the Pacific spreads around the world.  Urge our leaders to implement policies that help us reduce the carbon emissions that fuel global warming.

2.  Whether it is expanding agricultural lands, drilling for fossil fuels, or mining for the metals needed for renewable energy (wind, solar, storage batteries), Earth's resources are being pushed in ways that put increasing pressure on land, water, and wildlife.  Meeting these challenges is the work of the Minnesota Land Trust, which over the next decade plans to protect or restore 100,000 additional acres across Minnesota through 1,200 conservation projects that will safeguard clean water, restore wildlife habitat, build thriving ecosystems, and create opportunities for people to experience the wonder of nature.  Wild species now make up only 5% of mammal biomass, while 59% is livestock and 36% is humans.  Wild birds account for just 29% of bird biomass while 71% is farmed poultry.  Agriculture already uses almost half of all habitable land, but we can address the problem by advocating environmentally, regenerative, and healthy ways of farming, eliminating harmful subsidies, and ending overconsumption of the most problematic foods, such as meat and dairy.  

3.  Transitioning away from burning fossil fuels toward renewable energy (wind, solar, storage batteries) still requires the need to locate, mine, and process earth's resources, all of which contribute to carbon emissions.  Yet a viable alternative to mining would be recycling more of the copper we already have, according to the retired chair of Chisago County's recycling plan that successfully achieved the state's 25% recycling goals while also creating programs for waste reduction, reuse, and household hazardous-waste collection.  Only about 33% of copper is recycled in the U.S., while the E.U. recycles about 60%, according to the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA).  If the governor and Legislature would establish a statewide goal of recycling at least 50% of our copper from e-waste (allowing counties to determine the best way),it could eliminate the need for new copper mines like Polymet (NorthMet), and create an estimated 1,700 direct jobs.  These recycling jobs would use only about 10% to 15% of the fossil fuel energy required to mine and process new metals, a win for our economy, our climate, and our communities.

4.  Decisions we make right now will determine whether Minnesota's beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams remain swimmable, fishable, and worth passing on to the next generation.  Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which is applied to farmlands across the state, is untracked and unregulated in Minnesota, yet it runs off into waterways, shows up in drinking water as toxic nitrate, or enters the atmosphere as nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas.  Roughly 158 million pounds of nitrate from Minnesota are carried to the Mississippi River each year, and are responsible for killing the insects fish need to eat.  In humans, nitrates are associated with colorectal cancer, thyroid disease and potential birth defects, among other issues.  Current law does not address the pollution from our farmlands, but we can urge our leaders to implement stronger, enforceable limits on nitrogen fertilizer application, while on our own properties we can keep grass clippings out of storm drains, reduce or eliminate fertilizer on lawns, and pick up after pets (dispose of pet waste in the garbage, not into sewers or ditches).