Coastal Resilience in the Great Lakes Region

The document details efforts to enhance coastal resilience in the Great Lakes region through nature-based solutions, such as wetland restoration and climate-smart agriculture. It highlights the role of the Coastal Assembly in coordinating bi-national wetland restoration and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission's (GLIFWC) use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to assess species vulnerability. The briefing also emphasizes the importance of soil health in carbon sequestration and the need for federal policy modernization, including updates to the Stafford Act and expanded funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

• The Great Lakes region is economically and environmentally vital, with the U.S. portion generating over three trillion dollars in GDP and the lakes containing more than 20 percent of the world's freshwater.
• Climate change has already caused a 2.3 degree temperature increase in the Great Lakes region between 1951 and 2017, extending the growing season by 16 days and increasing the frequency and intensity of precipitation.
• Historical injustices, such as redlining in the 1920s and 30s, continue to impact urban resilience; for example, redlined neighborhoods in Minneapolis experience a temperature differential of 10.8 degrees compared to Double-A rated neighborhoods due to urban heat island effects.
• The Coastal Assembly, a bi-national organization of 22 agencies, focuses on restoring coastal wetlands, noting that over 50 percent of wetlands in the U.S. side of the Great Lakes basin have been lost.
• Ohio's H2Ohio Initiative has allocated 172 million dollars in state funds for water quality improvements this biennium, with approximately 46 million dollars specifically for on-the-ground wetland restoration.
• The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) uses a vulnerability assessment that combines Western science with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to identify risks to culturally important species, finding wild rice to be the most vulnerable.
• Agricultural land in the U.S. represents 40 percent of the landmass and has significant potential for carbon sequestration through climate-smart practices, such as the use of cover crops to improve soil health and hold nutrients.
• The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) recommends that the federal government modernize the Stafford Act, update FEMA disaster funding, and expand the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative into a 'Great Lakes Restoration and Resilience Initiative'.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2020). Coastal Resilience in the Great Lakes Region. https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_021320.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Coastal Resilience in the Great Lakes Region. 2020. https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_021320.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Coastal Resilience in the Great Lakes Region |date=February 2020 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_021320.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2020coastal, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Coastal Resilience in the Great Lakes Region}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2020}, month = feb, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_021320.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }