Climate Migration Experts Say the Great Lakes Region Will Face Lower Climate Risks

Friday, May 19th, 2023 -- 9:00 AM

(By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) Climate migration experts say the Great Lakes region will face lower climate risks than other parts of the nation.

But, according to Danielle Kaeding with Wisconsin Public Radio, that doesn’t mean Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest are immune to the effects of climate change, which is already affecting weather patterns here and across the globe.

It’s impossible to know exactly how rising temperatures and changing climate will affect where people choose to live or what it will mean for Wisconsin. But experts say there will be effects and the experiences of people are one sign that they are already being felt.

Globally, scientists predict up to 143 million people may be forced from their homes as climate change drives temperatures and sea levels higher. Those changes could be catastrophic for some island nations, and even coastal cities.

And in the U.S., conditions like the brutal drought in the West that caused Lake Powell to drop more than 150 feet over the last two decades could become more common. In Wisconsin, the changing climate will mean more frequent and longer heatwaves, as well as more frequent and intense storms, including destructive storms that lead to flooding or downed trees.

But it’s also possible that a state with a relatively cool climate and plentiful water resources could be protected from some of the changing climate’s worst effects.

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