About this Paper

This paper examines the potential impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes region. It is intended as an information resource for the formal and informal education community. This paper's content evolved from a regional workshop attended by representatives from government, industry, academic, tribal, and non-governmental organizations; from input by stakeholders from many walks of life (e.g., farmers, ranchers, and Native Americans); from regional assessment-related research; from the National Assessment Synthesis Team's reports (Overview and Foundation); and from other research reports. Workshop participants identified many potential environmental, social, and economic impacts of climate change that were of concern to them. Four are discussed here: Great Lakes water levels, human health, agriculture, and recreation and tourism. Each discussion is followed with an initial set of strategies to address potential impacts.

Several of the identified topics are currently issues of concern to society for reasons other than climate changes. Potential climate impacts give one additional reason for considering actions. It is also important to realize that some of the projected climate changes and their impacts will be gradual and slow to develop while others will be nearer term and more noticeable. Also, because we are talking about changes and impacts extending over as much as the next 100 years, we may well have time to take actions that could make it easier to moderate the potential negative consequences. The focus of this paper is less on the potential positive consequences because government responsibilities are typically to ameliorate adverse consequences, because they tend to be within the realm of past experience. Positive outcomes typically arise as people identify the opportunities changes present and create new (and less foreseeable) activities. Therefore, caution should be taken in drawing conclusions about potential net consequences - while change will occur, how society responds will be a key determinant for many types of consequences.

For additional information on this region, please see the Great Lakes Regional Workshop and Assessment reports and website at http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/nacc/greatlakes.htm. The National Assessment Synthesis Team's reports can be accessed at http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/nacc/default.htm. This paper was developed by Dr. Lynne M. Carter.  Thanks to Dr. Peter Sousounis, the Great Lakes regional assessment director, and Jeanne Bisanz, regional assessment coordinator, for contributions to and reviews of the information contained in this paper.