Consider a Minnesota with almost no ice fishing. A Missouri that is as hot and dry as Texas. River and lake communities where catastrophic flooding occurs almost every year, rather than every few generations.
That, scientists warn, is the future of the Midwest if emissions continue at a high rate, threatening the very core of the region's identity.
With extreme heat waves and flooding making that future increasingly real, city leaders are beginning to look for ways to adapt.
In a joint project organized by InsideClimate News, journalists across the Midwest explore how communities are responding to climate change. Read their stories below, including an overview of the challenges and some solutions from Rochester, Minnesota (InsideClimate News). his stories post-disaster adaptation planning in Goshen, Indiana (Indiana Environmental Reporter). climate concerns in Michigan's cool Upper Peninsula (Bridge Magazine), incl the mine pollution was washed away by the heavy rains (Bridge Magazine); his questions if they will withdraw from the risk of flooding in Freeport, Illinois (Better Government Association). and whether infrastructure, including highways and power lines, can handle climate change in Missouri (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
As climate change threatens the cultural identity of the Midwest, cities are trying ways to adapt
By Dan Gearino, InsideClimate News
From her office window in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayor Kim Norton has a clear view of how close the Zumbro River is to the overflowing floodwalls downtown. The city, home to the Mayo Clinic, has an enviable level of flood protection, installed after the devastating flood of 1978, but the walls were barely high enough to withstand last year's high waters. Norton has put climate change at the forefront of its agenda.
READ THE STORY.
Galvanized by devastating floods, an Indiana mayor looks for a sustainable path
By Beth Edwards, Indiana Environmental Reporter
The mayor of Goshen, Indiana wants to steer this small town to be better prepared for climate change after severe flooding last year. He found that the key is to talk about the projects in terms of their benefits to the community, rather than interpreting the division that arises when talking about the causes of climate change.
Marquette seems attractive in a warming world, but it has its own climate concerns
By Jim Malewitz, Bridge Magazine
The largest city in Michigan's Upper Peninsula appears to be a prime destination for people trying to avoid the effects of climate change. But leaders in the city and region are grappling with a number of problems related to warming, including increased rainfall and an increase in disease-carrying pests.
Old Mines Plus Heavy rains spell disaster for Michigan's Upper Peninsula
By Jim Malewitz, Bridge Magazine
Climate change is contributing to heavy rainfall that is straining a drainage system left over from long-closed mines. The result is an unpredictable and dangerous situation that community leaders are trying to fix. Meanwhile, residents know the next heavy rain could be devastating.
Amid frequent flooding, an Illinois town must decide whether to rebuild
By Brett Chase, Better Government Association
The Pecatonica River has flooded seven times in the past three years, upending the lives of many of the poorest residents of Freeport, Illinois. Leaders here and in many places are now asking whether it makes sense to continue rebuilding in flood-prone areas and how to pay for the relocation of affected people.
Sidewalk on power lines, is Missouri's infrastructure ready for a warming world?
By Bryce Gray, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Extreme heat and flooding are stressing Missouri's roads, bridges and power grid. A changing climate is intensifying the pressure on infrastructure that is often already aging beyond its intended lifespan. The result is an increased likelihood of failures, such as heat-induced buckling of roads.
Learn more about the National Environment Reporting Network and read the network's spring project: Middle America's Low-Hanging Carbon: The Search for Greenhouse Gas Cuts from the Grid, Agriculture and Transportation
Dan Giarino
Journalist, Clean Energy
Dan Gearino covers the Midwestern United States, part of ICN's National Environmental Reporting Network. His coverage deals with the business side of the clean energy transition and he writes ICN's Inside Clean Energy newsletter. He came to ICN in 2018 after nine years at The Columbus Dispatch, where he covered the business of energy. Before that, he covered politics and business in Iowa and New Hampshire. He grew up in Warren County, Iowa, just south of Des Moines, and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
