The report is timely, because 1997 was the warmest year since measurements began in the middle of the last century. And every one of 1998's first five months exceeded previous record global temperatures for those months. The Proceedings are a compilation of the deliberations of 100 workshop participants, mainly from the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, from diverse backgrounds, including agriculture, education, government and the sciences. The report also stresses the need for more and better information to improve the accuracy of evaluations of the effects of climate change and climate variability. Change creates opportunities at the same time it exposes vulnerabilities.
Optimism is as justifiable as pessimism.
Equally important as research into climate change and climate variability is the need to consider what actions to take in the view of what the research discovers. Since responses to change and variability reside at the intersection of science, policy, and individual citizens' responsibilities, stimulating communications among representatives of these sectors is essential. The workshop starts a process of learning and deciding, but the process has no fixed end. Change is with us indefinitely, or until we do something to arrest it. Having the opportunity to contribute to the development of a national strategy for dealing with one of the most important challenges facing the world is a privilege and an opportunity to be welcomed.