Whatever you feel about climate change, recent news that Minnesota is experiencing the change more than most states is rather disconcerting.

Minnesota ranked ninth in average temperature gain between 1912 and 2011. It ranked third when comparing 1970 to 2011.

Climatologists said snow cover keeps the air colder than when there isn’t snow on the ground. A lack of snow cover in several of the winters was cited as one reason for the gain, particularly in the last 30 years.

The news comes as the country just wrapped up the warmest spring on record (meteorological spring is March, April and May) and the warmest 12 months on record (June 2011 to May 2012).

Warmer weather might be joyful for residents of northern states who aren’t particularly fond of the cold and the snow, but the downsides are hotter summers, a shift in the flora and fauna that inhabit our lovely neck of the woods and harm to snow-based enterprises such as plow services and ski resorts.

That’s just the tip of the melting iceberg. The real disconcerting news is that this trend is expected to continue for our little blue planet, and unless we humans who live on it work to become better stewards of our home, there is no telling just how bad things could get.

Any honest parent has to be asking: “What kind of planet are we leaving to our children and grandchildren?”