Climate Change and Midwest Power Plants

The report highlights that six Midwest states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio) are home to 140 power plants that release approximately 2% of global man-made CO2 and 25% of all US power plant CO2. It predicts that without aggressive emissions reductions, the region could see temperature increases of 5-10°F in the 21st century, leading to significant risks for the Great Lakes water levels, crop yields, and human health. The document advocates for cleaning up old coal plants, transitioning to renewable energy, and increasing individual energy efficiency to mitigate these risks.

• The six Midwest states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio possess a disproportionate impact on carbon emissions, with 140 power plants producing about 2% of the world's total man-made CO2 and 25% of the CO2 released by all US power plants.
• Climate models predict significant warming for the Midwest in the 21st century, with potential temperature increases of 5-10°F. Nighttime temperatures are expected to warm by an additional 1-2°F compared to daytime.
• The Great Lakes and regional waterways are vulnerable to climate change; models suggest water surface temperatures could increase by 4° to 9°F, and lake levels could drop by as much as 2-5 feet on Lakes Huron and Michigan by 2090.
• Agricultural productivity in the Midwest faces high uncertainty; while some models suggest initial yield increases due to longer growing seasons, others predict corn yields could drop by 30-42% depending on the climate scenario.
• Climate change is expected to increase extreme weather events in the region, including heat waves and flooding. In Des Moines, Iowa, the number of days above 90°F is predicted to double if average temperatures increase by 3.6°F.
• Human health in the Midwest is threatened by rising temperatures and pollutants; ground-level ozone and black carbon (PM2.5) contribute to warming and are linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
• The report argues that the most effective mitigation strategy is cleaning up old coal-burning power plants, as approximately 99% of power plant CO2 in the Midwest originates from coal.

APA

Hill, L. B. (2002). Climate Change and Midwest Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093518/Midwest_Climate.pdf

Chicago

Hill, L. Bruce. Climate Change and Midwest Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force, 2002. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093518/Midwest_Climate.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hill |first1=L. Bruce |title=Climate Change and Midwest Power Plants |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=February 2002 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093518/Midwest_Climate.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hill2002climate, author = {Hill, L. Bruce}, title = {{Climate Change and Midwest Power Plants}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2002}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093518/Midwest_Climate.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }