Livelihoods and economies in the Great Lakes region always centered on water. Now, the moment is ripe for a new approach to appraising a regional asset as the warming climate desiccates the Southwest and deep fries the Deep South. Great Lakes officials are promoting their ecologically stable and water-rich region as a sensible place to do business in the 21st century and beyond.
This is the first in a series of articles and broadcasts that investigate the blue economy in the Great Lakes region. Produced by the five partners of the Great Lakes News Collaborative — Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now, Michigan Public, and The Narwhal — the articles pose a question central to the region’s future: how can the states, provinces, and tribal nations steward their water to provide jobs and attract businesses without inflicting the severe ecological damage that was a ruinous hallmark of earlier periods of development?
Read the full article for input from Dean Amhaus, The Water Council president and CEO, and other regional experts.