Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region - Starting a Public Discussion

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What does climate change mean for us in the Great Lakes region?

Global warming is an undeniable reality, according to the latest (2007) report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international group of scientists convened by the United Nations. The evidence is clear and noticeable: a rising average global air temperature, widespread melting of glaciers and ice, and rising mean sea levels worldwide. The report sounds the alarm that the Earth is warming, and that major components of our climate system are already responding to that warming.

What will global warming mean for our region? The "Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region" seminar series provides a forum to begin this important discussion. Over the next several months, experts will speak at sites throughout Wisconsin to discuss what is known, what is predicted and what can be done to adapt. The series will begin with a keynote presentation by Dr. Kevin Trenberth, a leading climate researcher from the National Center for Atmospheric Research and one of the authors of the current IPCC report. Subsequent talks will highlight how climate change could affect our property, water resources, fisheries, and public health.

What's New
Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to IPCC Congratulations to our Great Lakes Climate Change speakers John Magnuson, Jonathan Patz and Kevin Trenberth for their significant contributions in developing the reports on the implications of global warming that led to the awarding of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, also known as "Climate Change 2007," is now complete. It consists of three reports released earlier this year: "The physical science basis" (February 07); "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" (April 07); and "Mitigation of Climate Change" (May 07). The final synthesis report, released in November, presents the information from the previous reports in a readable and concise document targeted to policymakers. All of the reports can be accessed at www.ipcc.ch.