A wonderful bit of news came out of Bloomington as Indiana University announced an ambitious new initiative to better forecast and take on the impacts of climate change on Indiana’s communities and businesses.
Yes, we know. We are talking about climate change, and about environmentalism, a pair of topics that for various reasons have become top-tier areas of division. But here’s the good news for those on both sides of the debate: The university’s new Environmental Resilience Institute will be founded on the notion of working on much-needed responses to changes that are indeed happening, whatever you believe the causes to be.
“When we talk about this in terms of how it affects people, whether it’s about the impact on their food or water, or whether their child will want to stay in Indiana after they grow up, I think those are universal themes,” said Ellen Ketterson, an IU scientist and professor of biology who will lead the institute’s team of researchers.
“I really want folks to join together on this,” she added. “I think everyone has personal experiences that will make for common ground.”
Talk to an Indiana farmer, she said, and you’ll hear plenty about how weather patterns have changed planting seasons. Or look at the sharp increase in Lyme disease that has been attributed to our suddenly mild winters. Or consider the impact of rising temperatures on Lake Michigan or on crops such as corn and soybeans.
“When I talk to people, from construction workers to farmers, and ask if they are aware of how things have changed with the climate, they will say, absolutely,” Ketterson said. “I don’t think there is that much distance between us.”
There really isn’t, until this becomes a political issue, or a policy debate that forces people to make changes they are not ready or willing to make. And therein lies the beauty of IU’s new institute, funded by a $55 million investment that is part of IU’s broader Grand Challenges Program. The goal of this institute is to improve the quality of information to businesses, communities and policymakers, to spark a collaborative spirit, and to make sure more of us understand the urgent need to act.
Researchers can work with farmers to better understand the impact of climate change on insects, and what that means for birds and crops, said Fred Cate, IU’s vice president for research. In many cases, small changes could have significant benefits. Leaving a few extra feet of land along the edges of fields that have been plowed, for instance, allows for more biodiversity and, ultimately, healthier fields.
“We want to be a model for the rest of the country and the rest of the world,” Cate said.
Ketterson said one goal of the institute will be to partner with local organizations on short-term projects that can make a difference in communities.
“We welcome challenges,” Ketterson said. “But we don’t have 15,000 years to act. We have the next 25 to 50 years to prepare for things we know are coming.”