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The Great Lakes region as a climate refuge? We aren’t ready, but we can be.

Jun 27, 2022 10:05AM ● By Content Editor
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By Ed Miller - Crain's News - June 23, 2022

Opinion - 
When I hear people talk about the notion of the Great Lakes region becoming a climate refuge for people fleeing extreme weather events, I think of the wisdom of a distant relative I met in my 20s. He was in his late 70s and still farming land he’d lived on his entire life. I had long hair and was fresh from studying environmental policy in college. When I shook his hand and eagerly said, “Nice to meet you,” he responded, “We’ll see.”

While we can’t know for certain whether this region will be a large-scale refuge for those fleeing climate disasters, we do know that with our abundant fresh water and insulation from sea-level rise, our region has the potential to provide relative security in a climate-destabilized future.

The impacts of climate change will increase everywhere in the coming decades, with low-income communities and communities of color bearing the greatest impacts. These communities deserve immediate investment to safeguard their environment and public health. Here’s what we need to do to protect our climate future for current residents as well as those who may one day call the Great Lakes region home: 

1) Commit to maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure, especially water infrastructure. No one would think any place is a good refuge if it doesn’t have safe drinking water or if living there meant a trade-off from coastal flooding to rain and sewage flooding their basements. Aging drinking water systems in many Great Lakes communities need repairs and upgrades immediately. This includes replacing lead service lines that deliver water into homes. Successful lead service line replacement efforts in cities like Lansing, Mich., demonstrate how this can be done methodically and in a cost-effective way. 

We also need to improve our stormwater infrastructure because climate change means more of our rain is falling in heavy downpours. Flooded basements in cities across the Great Lakes show that our current stormwater infrastructure cannot handle most of it. Expanding “green infrastructure” to safely capture rainwater and upgrading traditional stormwater management systems are essential steps in ensuring Great Lakes climate resilience. In Illinois, The Joyce Foundation is supporting the Metropolitan Planning Council and Center for Neighborhood Technology to demonstrate new ways to fund and deploy green infrastructure that protects residents near Chicago waterways and Lake Michigan.

Forum Illustration of family fleeing wildfire


2) Take full advantage of increased federal infrastructure funds. Billions are now available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as well as other recent federal programs. Great Lakes states must direct these funds to communities that need them most. In Michigan, Joyce is partnering with the C.S. Mott Foundation in supporting the Michigan Municipal League Foundation’s MI Water Navigator program. That program will help Michigan communities access available water infrastructure resources, including an application cycle this November where local governments can seek financial support for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater upgrades. Joyce is also supporting related technical assistance efforts in other Great Lakes states. The availability of expanded federal infrastructure resources is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We cannot underestimate its importance—or squander it.

3) Do our part to reduce the severity of climate impacts. Successfully reducing the pollution that is driving climate change requires action worldwide. Great Lakes states can play an important role by adopting effective, forward-looking climate and energy policies. Last fall, Illinois adopted the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, a bold initiative making the state a national leader toward a 100% clean-energy future. The act will eliminate carbon emissions from the electric power sector, provide equitable access to clean energy jobs, increase utility accountability and provide transition supports for communities historically dependent on fossil fuels. Recently developed climate and clean-energy plans in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota also lay out sustainable paths to a clean-energy future. These efforts across Great Lakes states will help our region do its share in reducing global warming pollution, make the air cleaner and healthier locally, and create thousands of new jobs.

Will the Great Lakes become a climate refuge for multitudes fleeing extreme weather disasters? We’ll see. Either way, we can get ready in ways that also meet the needs of current residents. The time to act is now.


To read this original story and more news, follow this link to Crain's website.

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