When Governor Kulongoski announced his new Global Warming Commission last week, he might have chosen words that were less alarmist and more suited to the season. What he did say, in a statement distributed to the press, was this:

“The mission of the Global Warming Commission becomes more urgent every day. From rising waters during winter storms to raging forest fires and drought that threatens the future of our farms, vineyards and orchards, global warming is already threatening Oregon’s economic prosperity and quality of life.”

The governor sincerely believes that global warming is the single biggest issue facing Oregon in the coming generation. Still, what’s with this apocalyptic talk in the face of facts on the ground?

The waters around here rise every winter, and a lot less now than years ago. There’s no indication that rising waters represent an urgent threat.

Are our farms and orchards threatened? The 2007 compilation of Oregon farm statistics said: “Total cash receipts for all commodities shows a strong increase in 2006 to over $4.1 billion. Nine of the top 10 cash receipt commodities increased from the previous year.” (A table near that statement shows farm production actually increased to $4.4 billion.)

And this is no one-year phenomenon. The value of farm production has increased each year since 2002, the earliest year in the tables at hand.

True, the governor spoke of rising waters, drought and so forth threatening the future, not the present, of our economy and quality of life. But warming hasn’t harmed them so far during all the years it has been going on.

The governor has outlined goals on promoting water conservation, energy efficiency and advanced technology. All make sense in their own right, and none requires global warming as an excuse to go ahead.

The governor and his advisers evidently think they need some sort of argument other than common sense to push those policies along. But instead, officials just induce smirks when they call global warming an urgent threat on a day when the snow level is falling and people have to be careful getting home on the ice-covered roads. (hh)