Responding to climate change across the globe is a huge economic opportunity to create jobs, grow businesses, and build better living environments while making a meaningful impact on CO2 emission reduction. The response requires a coordination of policy, technology, and markets, and a minimization of headwinds, with a concerted focus on innovation. Climate solutions are critical to protecting the 21% of the world’s fresh surface water that makes up the Great Lakes. States, cities, and tribal nations across the U.S. compiled some of their best ideas into their Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, setting the subnational players up to compete for $4.6 billion in funding. A research team at the University of Michigan (U-M) reviewed the Great Lakes region (comprising six state plans, seven city plans, and three Tribal plans), looking for common themes, opportunities for collaboration, and compelling innovation ideas to accelerate climate action.
