The Issues
Introduction
The United States is at an environmental cross roads. But it’s not just big cities or low-lying coastal areas that are threatened. The geographical and metaphorical heart of America faces a unique array of environmental threats. And just like big cities in New York and California, the heartland is beginning to respond with innovative solutions.
Over the past eight years, as the federal government has fallen further behind on fostering sustainable practices, states, cities, towns, businesses and individual Americans have stepped forward to innovate and create solutions. The heartland, long overlooked by environmentalists, faces a range of serious environmental threats — including climate change, the financial and health impacts of energy use, and the overuse and pollution of water resources. The good news is that the heartland also has great potential for the production of renewable energy, and can reap many economic and community benefits from sustainable approaches to business, agriculture, and community development.
Environmental Challenges and Solutions in the Heartland
As part of examining projects and possible solutions, we must also understand the nature of the environmental issues that the heartland faces. Issues we will tackle include:
Climate change, extreme weather and flooding. The heartland has long faced natural threats from extreme weather and enjoyed conditions ideal for many kinds of agriculture. But evidence is accumulating that climate change may be intensifying the weather cycle, and also changing the timing and location of precipitation. Although climate change is a global phenomenon, there are local and regional approaches that can reduce US emissions of greenhouse gases and move development away from vulnerable areas.
The local impacts of fossil fuels. High oil prices and the health impacts of air pollution are energy issues that affect farmers, ranchers and rural communities in a unique and sometimes disproportionate way. As diesel fuel tops $4.00 per gallon, farmers are reexamining many of the practices that have long sustained their productivity. Renewable energy technology provides a set of possible solutions, but efficiency improvements, sustainable agriculture, and community planning also play a role.
Water pollution and overuse of water resources. The heartland is bordered by two great rivers — the Mississippi and the Colorado — and fed by a massive and unique pool of groundwater, the Ogallala Aquifer. Unfortunately both ground and surface waters are being overused and, despite decades of improvements, often do not meet state and national water quality standards. A range of solutions from businesses, farmers, and residents can improve efficiency and water quality.
Habitat destruction, community planning and sustainable farming. The heartland is made up of at least three distinct ecosystems. Although the area is vast, human development has reduced, altered, and fragmented the open spaces, grasslands, and forests that provide both animal habitat and critical benefits, such as storm buffering and air filtration, to humans. The good news is that cities and towns across the heartland are protecting open space, encouraging sustainable agriculture, and building green infrastructure.