Introduction Climate Projections Agriculture Human Health Property and Infrastructure Recreation & Tourism Water Supply & Pollution Climate Solutions Resources & Links

Introduction
Indiana, the center of the industrial and agricultural heartland, is rich in natural beauty. Numerous Indiana parks, streams, and rivers offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities that attract visitors including campers, hikers, anglers, wildlife watchers, and hunters. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on the shore of Lake Michigan attracted nearly 2 million visitors in 2002. Some common ingredients of Indiana’s industry, agriculture, and recreation are the many ecosystem services provided by the state’s rich ecological character.

It is precisely these ecosystems services, and the ecological and natural resources that underlie them, that are at risk from climate change. This change is largely driven by human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels to produce electricity and drive our cars, which in turn emits gases—principally carbon dioxide—that blanket the planet and trap heat. The resulting fundamental change in the Earth's atmosphere and climate is affecting people and the environment in the Great Lakes region.

In the Indiana section of this web feature, we explore what a changing climate could mean for the state. Specifically, we examine how climate is projected to change in Indiana, how these changes may impact human health, agriculture, water supplies, property and infrastructure, aquatic ecosystems, and tourism and recreation; and how Hoosiers can help reduce these potential impacts by pursuing several solutions strategies.

After you’ve learned about the threats that a changing climate pose to Indiana, please take a couple of minutes to tell policymakers to begin tackling the problem. This is easy to do on our action pages.