I don’t have the patience to debate the reality of climate change. If you don’t believe climate change is real, then go buy yourself some oceanfront property in Florida. Or New York – or really anywhere along the East Coast. Or the West Coast, for that matter. You’ll have a front row seat for all the climate change you can possibly deal with.
Washtenaw County isn’t going to be under water anytime soon, but that poses a question that’s just as urgent. When the East Coast floods, people will look to move themselves (and their infrastructure) to someplace that’s not quite as wet. The delicious irony of people coming to Michigan in search of dry land is not lost on anyone who has lived here for a while.
At the same time, the Western United States – where a large portion of the population has concentrated – will become too hot and too dry to reasonably sustain the people who live there now. Access to water is already a significant question for people in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada and Colorado. People will return to the Great Lakes in search of water.
But that means we will need additional infrastructure to support the influx of new residents. The area will need more houses, for sure. But Washtenaw County will need more roads and better bridges, improved energy infrastructure, better agricultural support, larger water and waste treatment capacities, more schools, more data centers, more hospitals … more of just about everything.
Now (2023) is the time to start planning and building these infrastructure improvements. In 15-20 years, the impact of climate change will be evident along America’s coastlines. These changes will be long-term. And a growing number of people will be moving to the area to escape the impact of climate change.
Michigan will be the new normal of climate change
Why not? Washtenaw County will be largely free from excessive heat. The humidity will not change radically from what it is right now. Washtenaw County’s agricultural yields will increase, and the area will be unaffected by sea level rises and catastrophic wildfires. In comparison to places like Florida – which could lose half or more of its economy, Washtenaw County will be relatively insulated from the most catastrophic elements of climate change.
This will be the place to be, and we’re already here! But what is Washtenaw County doing to prepare for the influx of population over the next four to five decades? There’s an enormous amount of work that needs to be done here in the next 10-15 years. What is WCC doing to prepare the area for this radical change? What is the plan?
Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, via Flickr
