On Saturday, February 25th, Dr. L. David Roper drove his electric car to Independence to share his knowledge of climate change with 52 interested citizens at the Historic 1908 Courthouse. Dr. Roper is a retired professor and former chair of the Physics Department at VA Tech and has a passionate interest in the science of global warming in its historic context.
He confirmed that Grayson County is one of the safest places to be, compared to areas of the country experiencing sea level rise, rampant wildfires and severe drought. However, we are seeing some effects, with growing seasons less predictable and heavy rains interspersed with periods of drought. And we saw wildfires in the Smoky Mountains last summer, something we haven’t contended with before. If you missed his talk, the slides he used can be viewed at: http://www.roperld.com/science/GlobalWarming_Jan2017.pdf