Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/brian/page/11/)
The University of Michigan is helping them with a new $1.2 million research project. Dubbed the “Great Lakes Adaptation Assessment for Cities,” the project teams researchers with city decision makers in five Great Lakes cities. They’ll provide the climate change science specifically for those communities.
A long-buried stream hidden beneath Detroit may soon break free from concrete shackles and become a centerpiece of green development.
By Brian Bienkowski
Thousands of jobs, millions of dollars and a more stable climate are possible if Illinois aggressively pursues clean energy, according to a report released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The peer-reviewed report, dubbed “Bright Future for the Heartland,” predicts what would happen if Midwestern states reached two goals: produced 30 percent of its electricity supply from renewables by 2030; and reduced power consumption 2 percent every year starting in 2015. The goals came from policy recommendations that were given to Midwestern state governors in 2009 by an advisory board.(“Energy Roadmap”)
In 2007, Illinois mandated that 25 percent of the state’s power supply be renewable by 2025, and power consumption must drop 2 percent annually. While a step in the right direction, the report claims the Prairie State stands to gain more by shooting for the Energy Roadmap targets. By 2030, Illinois would add 8,400 jobs, lower energy bills by $4.7 billion and see $4.5 billion in new capital investment with stricter clean energy policies, according to the report. The jobs would come from renewable energy manufacturing, installation, and maintenance – the kind of labor base abundant in Illinois.
Phosphorous fertilizers will soon be restricted in Michigan as the state addresses one of the ways the nutrient infiltrates waters and spurs the creation of zones of low oxygen that harm aquatic life.
This Chicago resident envisions fish and plants as central to an accelerator for urban food production.
He hopes his recycled meatpacking factory grows food and supports urban farming pioneers.
Faced with unoccupied land and a scarcity of fresh, healthy foods, Detroit is reviving its tradition of urban agriculture. But this time, an entrepreneur has proposed for-profit commercial farming instead of non-profit experiments.
Although lead is a known health hazard for wildlife, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently rejected a petition asking for a ban on lead fishing tackle and ammunition.
Alternatives are expensive; most efforts at controlling such exposures are limited to education and outreach.
New York is the only Great Lakes state to take regulatory action, banning the sale of some lead sinkers.
The fight against climate change, invasive species and contaminated water in the Great Lakes has come to Wisconsin’s Lake Superior shoreline in Wisconsin. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated 17,000 acres there for research, education, outreach and stewardship.