Study For Great Lakes Protection Fund Identifies Erie County, PA As One Of 10 Priority Areas For Green Infrastructure Investment In Great Lakes Region

On March 3, a study supported by the Great Lakes Protection Fund identified Erie County, Pennsylvania as one of ten priority areas in the entire Great Lakes Region for green infrastructure investment.

The Climate Risks and Opportunities in the Great Lakes Region report by sustainable investing expert HIP Investor, Inc. and Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. included the eight U.S. Great Lakes states, comprising 653 counties, and in particular the 216 counties within the Great Lakes Basin.

This study evaluated items such as flood risk, impervious surfaces, unemployment rates, skilled worker density, health and well-being, vulnerability index, and financing capacity – into one overall score of readiness for implementing green stormwater infrastructure. 

The final readiness score was found to have a strong correlation with diversity of the population, i.e., people of color.

Leading candidates for critical green stormwater infrastructure investment include:

-- Cleveland metro area and Cuyahoga County, Ohio;

-- Milwaukee metro area and Milwaukee County, Wisconsin;

-- Chicago metro area and Cook County, Illinois; and

-- Detroit metro area and Wayne County, Michigan.

Smaller cities and mid-sized counties are prime candidates as well:

-- Lucas County, Ohio;

-- Lake County, Indiana;

-- Ingham County, Michigan;

-- Erie County, Pennsylvania;

-- Isabella County, Michigan; and

-- St. Joseph County, Indiana.

"Communities across the Great Lakes basin are threatened by the changing climate, and threats are not affecting communities equally," says Steve Cole, vice president of programs at the Great Lakes Protection Fund, which supported this work. "This report illustrates where vulnerable populations are, and where conditions are favorable to increase community resilience by investing in green stormwater infrastructure. These investments could bring much-needed attention and new jobs to underserved communities while mitigating the environmental risks they face."

"Funding and financing climate action, especially in the Great Lakes, is lagging the visionary goals that many cities, counties, and states have set, such as 100 percent greenhouse gas reductions by 2030," says R. Paul Herman, CEO of sustainable-investing expert HIP Investor Inc. and a coauthor of the report. "Investing in green infrastructure today can create green jobs, stronger communities, and more resilience, which also fulfill the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals."

The full report provides lists, maps and graphics to tell the story of the communities most in need of action to survive the climate and engage their workforces.

A copy of the report is available online.

Related Article:

-- PA Lake Erie Virtual Environmental Forum Set For March 23

[Posted: March 4, 2021]  PA Environment Digest