climate change in the midwest

climate change in the midwest

By Dan Gearino, InsideClimate News. “I take the extremes in weather a little more in stride than the normal person,” he shrugged. Summers in Illinois and Michigan might feel like current summers in Texas or Oklahoma by the end of the century. Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment, J. M. Melillo, Terese (T.C.) The Nature Conservancy brought together climate experts in Iowa Wednesday for the first of a three-part series on the long-term weather trends that are critically important for agriculture across the Midwest, while specifically covering data from Iowa. Global Change Research Program, Climate Change in the Midwest examines the known effects and relationships of climate change variables on the eight states that make up the region.  Projections of future precipitation indicate that heavy downpours are likely to occur primarily in winter and spring months while summers will become drier, especially in the southern portion of the region. The Midwest Climate Summit seeks to actively engage students in the main Summit sessions, as well as three student-led and student-focused elements – the Climate Stories Contest, the Student System Conference, and the Midwest Climate Summit Career Chats. “The United States is not losing the climate change conversation on the coasts,” said Rolf Nordstrom, CEO of the Great Plains Institute. “The Midwest may actually experience migration into the region because of climate change,” Maria Carmen Lemos, a Midwest chapter author … A series of reports by Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and leading climate scientists provides an in-depth look at the potential consequences of climate change in the U.S. Midwest. Many communities N The Midwest is projected to experience higher temperatures, increased precipitation, and more frequent and intense storms. By. ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE MIDWEST NORTHE NORTHEAT fisheries. The diverse landscapes of the U.S. Midwest, and the natural processes, livelihoods, and infrastructure associated with them, are vulnerable to climate change. The region is a global breadbasket, the source of most of America’s amber waves of grain, as well as soybeans and other staple crops. Extreme Weather and Climate Change: The Midwest. The diverse landscapes of the U.S. Midwest, and the natural processes, livelihoods, and infrastructure associated with them, are vulnerable to climate change. The Midwest is not immune to climate change. Climate change projections in the Midwest predict warming temperatures, an increase in the freeze‐free season, and more frequent and intense precipitation, with increased precipitation in spring and winter and decreased precipitation in summer (Kunkel et al. A third study, published in 2016, examined how climate change could alter streamflow in the Northeast and Midwest. [8] USGCRP (2009). Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. “We have to be very thoughtful about how we talk about climate change,” said Jesse Kharbanda, executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council. Climate change in Ohio is of concern due to its impacts on the environment, people, and economy of Ohio. Precipitation in the Midwest is expected become more intense, leading to increased flood damage, strained drainage systems, and reduced drinking water availability. Midwestern temperatures are expected to continue rising. All contents © 2020 The Slate Group LLC. The growing risks of dangerously hot weather Climate change is expected to have many impacts on agriculture, forests, and other ecosystems in the Midwest. Science As Climate Change Threatens Midwest’s Cultural Identity, Cities Test Ways to Adapt Spring floods, hot summers and warmer winters have been wake-up … Annual precipitation has already risen by as much as 20% in some areas. And while he engages in farming practices that are good for both the environment and his farm, in July, he helped kill a bill to study the risks of climate change in Nebraska. New America, and How a Deranged “Cat Wreath” Brought Our Neighborhood Facebook Page Together for the Holidays, The Biden Administration Needs to Keep Underseas Internet Cables From Drowning, The Best Video Games We Played This Year (We Had Time for Lots of Them). [2], The Midwest has gotten warmer, with average annual temperatures increasing over the last several decades. Increases are expected in both the number of days over 95°F (top right) and the number of days over 65°F (bottom right), when air conditioning may be needed. Richmond, and G. W. Yohe, Eds., U.S. When writing about climate change, scientists are often challenged with focusing on either specific academic audiences or more general readers. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Advancing Climate Change Solutions The Midwest is ground zero in the battle against climate change, and ELPC is working to accelerate smart solutions. Tom Linebarger, CEO of the Indiana-based Fortune 500 company Cummins, said that he takes climate change seriously, both for moral reasons and as a matter of good business. Coolwater species, such as muskie, smallmouth bass, and bluegill are expected to increase. Slate, [1][3][4] Heat stress is likely to increase in the future as a result of continued rises in temperatures and humidity in this region, resulting in more heat-related deaths and illnesses. Warmer temperatures and changes in precipitation could increase the risk of exposure to diseases carried by insects and rodents. What’s more certain, NOAA states, is that climate change is causing the jetstream to move toward the pole. [1] USGCRP (2014)  Pryor, S. C., D. Scavia, C. Downer, M. Gaden, L. Iverson, R. Nordstrom, J. Patz, and G. P. Robertson, 2014: Ch. Average annual air temperatures are projected to increase in the near future (2041-2070) when compared to the end of last century (1971-2000) (top left). Reduced lake ice has contributed to observed increases in summer water temperatures. Drought will make water more expensive, which will likely affect the cost of raw materials … Climate change in Michigan encompasses the effects of climate change, attributed to man-made increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, ... Over the last half century, average annual precipitation in most of the Midwest has increased by 5 to 10 percent. You’ve run out of free articles. Hughes, the farmer and state politician, practices no-till cultivation and other carbon sequestration techniques that also improve soil conditions and water retention, even though he doesn’t believe human activity causes climate change. Any center-out strategy has to take that disparity into account, and that can be a win-win proposition. [1] Local governments may invest in new infrastructure to prevent contamination and protect water resources. Just as the Midwest became a political battleground that national candidates ignore at their peril, this region will be crucial to the success of any national climate change plan. However, observational studies of irrigation-induced climate change are lacking in temperate, humid regions throughout North America and Europe. In the Midwest, extreme rainfall events and floods have become … The private sector has played a role as well. Judging. Average annual air temperatures are projected to increase in the near future (2041-2070) when compared to the end of last century (1971-2000) (top left). With all of that manufacturing and agriculture come greenhouse gases; the Midwest produces  one-quarter of the country’s emissions. 2014; Shafer et al. “Climate change impacts in the Midwest are expected to be as diverse as the landscape itself. As St. Louis Alderman Lewis Reed said, “When you look at a lot of climate issues and sustainability issues, we also need to talk about social and economic justice because it all plays together. First Place: $1,500; Second Place: $1,000 For example, in 2019 some areas saw between 200-600 percent the historical normal amount of precipitation. He is polite and hardworking, with deep roots (so to speak) in the region and a certain amount of skepticism about outsiders—and about climate change. It matters not only to have “a seat at the table,” said Shalini Gupta, a Minneapolis-based health and environment expert, but also to have the right data and information “to be able to engage in these very technical spaces.”. Slate relies on advertising to support our journalism. Climate change in Michigan encompasses the effects of climate change, attributed to man-made increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, in the U.S. state of Michigan. Global Change Research Program, 150-174.Â. CHICAGO — With the Earth on track to finish out another year among the warmest on record and the impact of climate change mounting around the globe, advocates around the Great Lakes are looking ahead to what a new administration could mean for the Midwest, the region containing one of the world’s largest freshwater sources. [1] Heavy downpours are already common, but climate change is expected to intensify storms and lead to greater precipitation across the entire region during this century. 2013a,Kunkel et al. The 2019 bomb cyclone cost the state $1.3 billion. A center-out strategy speaks to the Midwest’s particular character—and its economic importance. [1] The rate of increase in temperature has accelerated in recent decades, particularly nighttime and winter temperatures. In the long-term, climate impacts are likely to have increasingly detrimental effects that increase variability in crop and agricultural production. In the Great Lakes and smaller lakes in the Midwest region, increased temperatures are likely to affect fish species. Between 1900 and 2010, the average air temperature increased by more than 1.5°F. 10: Energy, Water, and Land). Global Change Research Program, 418-440.Â. This report, pre- pared as a contribution to the Third National Climate Assessment, addresses the poten- tial impacts of climate change on natural systems, human health, and several important economic sectors within the … Higher average annual temperatures … [3] US EPA (2014). Climate change indicators in the United States, 2014. The flooding in the Midwest was an artifact of climate change, never mind that, as Bjorn Lomborg points out, the U.N. isn’t sure whether flooding overall is getting more or less frequent. Yet environmental advocates in the Midwest say they can’t even use the term climate change if they want to work with state legislatures. Climate change will also exacerbate a range of risks to the Great Lakes. May 30, 2019. It is such a case with Climate Change in the Midwest. This is the first study in the Midwest United States to observe and quantify … Climate change also alters pests and disease prevalence, … December 28, 2020. Expected rises summer drought frequency and evaporation rates could reduce water levels in lakes and wetlands, as well as in important commercial waterways. Difficult to plant. Global Change Research Program, 130-149. So it’s likely that derechos will shift poleward in a warming world, too. For more information on climate change impacts on ecosystems, please visit the Ecosystems Impacts page. Climate change is an increasing concern for wildlife managers across the United States and Canada. 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