Jake Torcasso
Jonathan Pershing of the US Department of State spoke at the University of Chicago on Tuesday. His talk emphasized past and current climate change policy and international negotiations. He stressed that while negotiations must occur over broader geo-political regions, adaptation has to be conducted at the regional level. Dr. Pershing discussed how effects vary by region. The poles will experience the greatest changes in temperature, with a predicted increase of 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Most countries will witness reduced crop yields in the next century, but Russia/Canada could see greater potential for agriculture. Variability in climate and an increase in the frequency/intensity of storm events are predicted to increase water scarcity. Although water scarcity will affect whole nations (India, China, etc.), the most drastic effects will occur at the smaller, regional level.
Margaret Schneemann, a resource economist at CMAP (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning), gave detailed information on Wednesday regarding the future of Chicago’s water supply. She explained that water shortages exist at the county and city level in Illinois. Villages like Lake Zurich are finding it increasingly difficult to rely on groundwater for its municipal supply and out of necessity they plead the state for permission to draw water from Lake Michigan. With more and more counties and cities asking to draw from the lake, scientists and politicians are becoming concerned about the long-term viability of the lake as a water resource. Because the lake serves multiple states and is connected to a larger hydrologic system, we can see how regional effects aggregate to issues that warrant interstate and US-Canada negotiations. For more information on the future of Chicago’s water resources, CMAP will host a Water 2050 forum on June 9, 2011. Visit the website to RSVP.
Jonathan Pershing concluded with a brief overview of these international negotiations in regards to climate change. Set in Durban, South Africa, the next meeting will follow-up on the agreements made in Cancun, in hopes to produce a legally binding treaty with greater focus on implementation. The United States has set some of its own quantitative and qualitative goals. Government officials expect to raise $100 billion from both the public and private sectors by 2020 in addition to approving other green fund initiatives, such as the U.S.-India Joint Clean Energy and Development Center.