Report on Climate Change Impacts in the Great Lakes Region and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A recent report from the Environmental Law and Policy Center details the extensive impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes region. The findings indicate that these impacts are not isolated, but rather create cross-sectoral challenges that directly threaten the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The economic, environmental, and social stability of the region is at risk, necessitating urgent action aligned with the SDG framework.

SDG 13: Climate Action – The Core Challenge

The report underscores the urgent need for climate action by documenting significant environmental shifts in the Great Lakes region. These changes form the basis of the threats to other development goals.

• Reductions in seasonal lake ice cover.
• Increased frequency and intensity of heat waves.
• Higher incidence of extreme rain events and subsequent flooding.
• Periods of drought impacting water levels and availability.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Widespread Economic Disruption

Climate change is projected to cause significant economic disruption across key regional industries, undermining sustainable economic growth and job security.

1. Tourism and Recreation: Warmer, shorter winters negatively impact the winter sports sector, including the operation of ski hills and snowmobile trails and the sale of related equipment. Summer tourism is rendered less predictable by heat waves, extreme rain, and declining fish populations.
2. Shipping and Logistics: Changing lake conditions and reduced ice cover are altering shipping schedules and impacting the efficiency of maritime transport.
3. Fishing Industry: The disruption of aquatic ecosystems and the decline in fish populations pose a direct threat to the commercial and recreational fishing industries.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Escalating Public Health Risks

The changing climate presents direct threats to public health, jeopardizing community well-being.

• Increased health risks associated with more frequent and severe heat waves.
• Heightened danger from flooding events.
• Greater prevalence of vector-borne diseases as conditions become more favorable for carriers like mosquitoes and ticks.

SDG 14 & SDG 15: Life Below Water and Life on Land – Ecosystem Degradation

The report highlights severe consequences for regional biodiversity, impacting progress on goals to protect both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

• Life Below Water (SDG 14): Reductions in lake ice cover disrupt critical biological processes essential for the health of aquatic ecosystems, leading to challenges such as vanishing fish populations.
• Life on Land (SDG 15): Changing seasonal patterns, particularly warmer winters, disrupt terrestrial ecosystems and the human activities, such as winter sports, that depend on them.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – Threats to Regional Resilience

Climate impacts pose a significant challenge to the integrity and reliability of regional infrastructure, a cornerstone of industry and innovation.

• Increased risk of infrastructure damage due to extreme heat and weather events.
• Challenges for transportation systems resulting from drought and heat stress.
• Impacts on shipping efficiency due to variable lake conditions, affecting industrial supply chains.

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 14: Life Below Water

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks. The article highlights that “Public health risks are rising due to more frequent heat waves, flooding and the spread of vector-borne diseases like those carried by mosquitoes and ticks,” which directly relates to managing new and increasing health risks linked to climate change.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.4: Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation. The article shows how environmental degradation (climate change) is negatively impacting economic sectors, stating that “economic impacts of climate change are expected to cross all sectors.”
   • Target 8.9: By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products. The article’s focus on the negative impacts on tourism, such as how “warmer and shorter winters are making it harder to sell skiing and snowmobiling equipment” and summer events are “less predictable,” points to the need for sustainable tourism strategies that can adapt to climate change.

3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being. The article directly mentions that “Industries and transportation systems face challenges from… infrastructure damage,” and that changing lake conditions “impact shipping efficiency,” highlighting the need for resilient infrastructure.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The article details numerous climate-related hazards affecting the Great Lakes region, including “heat waves, flooding,” “drought, extreme heat,” and “extreme rain events,” which necessitate increased resilience and adaptation.

5. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts. Although the Great Lakes are freshwater, the principle of this target applies. The article states that climate change is “disrupting… biological processes crucial to aquatic ecosystems” and leading to “vanishing fish populations,” indicating a failure to protect these ecosystems from adverse impacts.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Implied Indicator: Incidence of vector-borne diseases. The article mentions the “spread of vector-borne diseases like those carried by mosquitoes and ticks,” implying that tracking the number of cases would be a measure of this health risk.
   • Implied Indicator: Health impacts of heat waves and flooding. The mention of “public health risks” from these events implies that tracking heat-related illnesses or injuries/illnesses from floods would be relevant indicators.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Implied Indicator: Revenue from tourism-related activities. The article’s statement that it is “harder to sell skiing and snowmobiling equipment” implies that sales data and revenue from winter sports and other tourism could be used as an indicator of economic impact.

3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Implied Indicator: Disruptions to shipping schedules. The article notes that changing lake conditions “impact shipping efficiency” and disrupt “shipping schedules,” suggesting that the frequency and duration of these disruptions could be a metric for infrastructure resilience.
   • Implied Indicator: Costs of infrastructure damage. The mention of “infrastructure damage” implies that the monetary cost of repairing or replacing infrastructure due to extreme weather events would be a direct indicator.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Implied Indicator: Frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The article repeatedly refers to “more frequent heat waves, flooding,” “extreme heat,” and “extreme rain events.” Tracking these occurrences would measure the increasing climate-related hazards.

5. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Implied Indicator: Lake ice cover. The article explicitly mentions “Reductions in lake ice cover” as a key impact, making its extent and duration a direct indicator of climate change’s effect on the aquatic ecosystem.
   • Implied Indicator: Fish populations. The mention of “vanishing fish populations” suggests that stock assessments and population counts would be a critical indicator of ecosystem health.

SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: jsonline.com