By Fred Abels

Rural and small town Iowans are not ignoring the challenges posed by climate change. Recently, 75 Iowans from the agriculture and faith communities gathered for a discussion in Ames.

They weren't there to just talk about the problem; they were focused on finding solutions — on-farm conservation for soil improvement and carbon sequestration, increasing biodiversity to bolster food security, and pairing a thriving clean-energy economy with limiting harmful pollution from old power plants.

Iowa has been a leader among the states as America has grown into a global clean-energy leader, with the potential to go even further. Today, there are 80,700 wind energy jobs and 142,698 solar energy jobs across the nation. Construction of turbines, solar panels and associated parts has led to a manufacturing boom in a number of states.

This level of investment also provides new sources of revenue from property taxes. In the case of wind farms, that figure can come out to $189 million annually to a local county tax base. This new income for rural communities means more resources for fire and police departments, schools, infrastructure and other public services.

Great stories abound. Farmers Electric Cooperative in Frytown, Ia., has started moving on a project that would be the single largest solar farm in Iowa, if not the Midwest. The 750 KW solar project would provide all of the energy for two local organic and all-natural agriculture businesses that are served by the co-op.

The cooperative has also committed to using U.S.-made parts for the project, feeding the renewable energy economy. Besides creating local, renewable energy, efforts like this one help bring new economic opportunities to small communities.

Renewable energy is a drought-resistant crop that helps grow communities, with average land-lease payments of $10,000 per turbine each year for landowners. Wind and solar energy have grown rapidly in recent years and brought a bright future with it.

A clean-energy economyand agricultural solutions can provide a one-two punch to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released its fifth assessment report (http://ipcc.ch/report/ar5/), which reaffirms that without adaptation, increased temperature, frequency of extreme events and reduced water supply would result in productivity declines in major North American crops and pose a threat to global food security.

In 2012, about 80 percent of American agricultural land was punished by the most extensive drought in at least 25 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The drought cost farmers and ranchers billions, and the USDA is predicting food prices will rise by 2.5 to 3.5 percent in 2014 as a result.

Now is the time to take common sense steps to address a major contributor to a changing climate: carbon pollution. Currently, there is no limit on the amount of carbon pollution that American power plants can emit, and they are responsible for 40 percent of the U.S.'s carbon footprint.

New rules from the Environmental Protection Agency would help limit these emissions. We can also replace outdated energy sources with renewable, homegrown energy, while providing new rural economic opportunities, bringing along jobs, tax revenue and related industry.

Climate change isn't somethingwe can ignore. Now is the time to face the problem head on and implement common sense solutions that will benefit us in the long run.

Rural Americans like those participating in the Ames discussion acknowledge the effects of climate change on agriculture and rural communities, and that we must address those impacts. It's time to focus on reducing carbon pollution and investing in clean energy.

We can continue growing economic opportunity here at home while doing what is right for public health, for the most vulnerable among us, and for our precious natural resources.

THE AUTHOR:

FRED ABELS lives and farms near Holland, Ia. He participated in the discussion on climate change hosted by the Center for Rural Affairs and Bethesda Lutheran Church in Ames on March 30. Contact: farmerfred1981@gmail.com.