A decade ago, top Great Lakes thinkers published a vision to remake the region’s economy around the use and protection of its greatest natural feature: Water. The GLNC newsrooms will pursue a project assessing the state of the so-called “blue economy” a decade later.
From fishing and heavy industry to recreational waterfronts and data centers, a dizzying array of interest groups are using – and sometimes abusing – our biggest economic asset. How does water use, access, preservation and pollution shape our region’s economic outlook, and what lessons can we learn from the past to ensure a thriving blue economy in the future?
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Water-based economic researchers in the Great Lakes region are seeing U.S. government resistance to funding world-changing hub for water technology. -
Decades of industrial pollution on Lake Superior has seen stretches of its shore deemed areas of environmental concern for both Canada and the U.S. A massive investment of time and money is letting nature return. -
One of the lowest income cities in Michigan has a proposed $3 billion data center as a potential lifeline — but environmentalists and locals warn of high costs to water, climate and community. -
Glyphosate is the best-selling farm chemical ever in American agriculture. $2.8 billion in annual sales and roughly 280 million pounds applied annually on U.S. crop fields, most of it on corn and soybeans in Michigan and other Midwest farm states. -
The new lock at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie is in the third phase of construction. The megaproject is over budget and funds to finish the lock are uncertain. A federal report found if the current lock for large ships fails, it could cause a deep recession, leading to as many as 11 million people to be unemployed. -
Muskegon Lake is cleaner and more beautiful. Developers are flocking to former factory sites, converting land into pricey condos and marinas. Residents, policy makers, and businesspeople are debating how to embrace the new without letting 'eco-gentrification' push longtime residents out. -
Federal budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration could cause significant disruption in the efforts to restore and sustain fish populations in the Great Lakes. -
From fishing and heavy industry to recreational waterfronts and new technology, a dizzying array of interest groups are using —and sometimes abusing — our biggest economic asset: the Great Lakes.
