According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Wisconsin is right on track with efforts to curb climate change and water pollution. We’re among nine other states in the “green zone,” meaning we have policies in place to manage carbon pollution, and we have a plan to adapt to potential future climate issues. 

The NRDC says that “Wisconsin is among a handful of states that have developed a good plan, but recent changes have slowed progress on preparing for climate change.” They say we need to set a carbon pollution reduction goal, and we also need an implementation strategy for our adaption plan.

According to the NRDC, Wisconsin’s future climate and water risks include increased annual precipitation, more frequent and intense storms, increased flooding and erosion, and impacts on aquatic species. Basically, we’ll get more rain and snow in big storms (rather than spread-out smaller storms), which could cause flooding. But in the longer time between storms, we could be at a higher risk for erosion from the lack of precipitation. The change in the precipitation schedule could impact our aquatic wildlife.

It’s no surprise that Wisconsin is the most prepared state in the Midwest. Neighbors Minnesota and Michigan are currently making plans to prepare for future climate impacts, but their strategies are not quite in place. Illinois is even further behind, with limited policies and considerations for future climate impacts. And Iowa and Indiana have yet to formally address climate change preparedness. So ... nanner-nanner.

A word of caution: The NRDC is a bit ambiguous about their senior scientist, Allen Hershkowitz. I hope he is an accredited scientist who keeps up with the field of climate research (and maybe even does some research of his own), and not a fear-monger who scares citizens instead of informing them about the causes and effects of climate change. But, unfortunately, I have not found any information about his degrees and credentials before he joined the NRDC. It seems the NRDC does not advertise his degrees and credentials prior to his work at their organization. If he is a respected climate scientist, I’d think he would want to make it known … Any ideas as to why he hasn’t? Maybe you’ll have more luck researching this Hershkowitz.

UPDATE: You can read a substantial bio of Dr. Allen Hershkowitz right here!

Check out the NRDC's website for more info on climate change policies in the U.S.