Gary working with Indiana University on climate resilience plan - The Times of Northwest Indiana

Gary working with Indiana University on climate resilience plan

GARY — Last week smoke from wildfires in Canada blanketed the Great Lakes region, causing Chicago and Detroit to have the worst air quality in the world.

Over the weekend, torrential rains flooded streets and basements throughout the Chicago area, and Monday and Tuesday gave the world the two hottest days ever recorded.

As the Earth's climate continues to change, scientists say extreme weather events will become more and more common.

The question is, are communities ready to adapt?

With help from Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute, the city of Gary is working to get ahead of the problem.

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Gary, Bloomington, Carmel, Monroe County, New Albany, South Bend and Terre Haute will work throughout the next year with the Environmental Resilience Institute to asses climate vulnerabilities and craft an environmental resilience plan. An IU student is working with Gary on the project as a McKinney Climate Fellow.

Not one-size-fits-all

According to a "Climate Change Impacts Assessment" released by Purdue University in 2018, Indiana has warmed 1.2°F since 1895. The report also found that annual precipitation increased 5.6 inches during the same time period. Temperatures are projected to rise 5°F to 6°F by midcentury, and extreme rain events will become more likely.

"We really need to be planning ahead," said Therese Dorau, the ERI's assistant director for policy and implementation. "We know it’s going to be hotter, we know it’s going to be wetter, we've acknowledged that this is going to happen no matter what we do mitigation-wise."

While some climate trends will have a broad impact on the Hoosier State, many will be location specific.

Social and environmental factors influence how climate change affects different communities. More urban areas like Gary may be subject to the heat island effect created by high amounts of concrete, and Northwest Indiana's proximity to Lake Michigan makes it more vulnerable to flooding.

Studies also show that older, low-income residents and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by climate change.

"It’s not one-size-fits-all," Dorau explained. "You really have to take environmental justice and the characteristics of your unique population into account."

Gary's Environmental Affairs Department released a climate vulnerability and resilience survey this week. The city wants to get responses from as many residents as possible; the feedback will be incorporated into the larger climate resilience plan. The survey can be accessed at qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bx9nZzfSVIdeDDo; it asks respondents to rank climate concerns, potential resilience strategies, their favorite natural elements in Gary and more.

On July 18, the city plans a workshop with community stakeholders. Participants will include city department heads, elected officials, medical professionals and Gary Community School Corp. representatives.

"We’re really trying to gather information from the people who know the systems well and would be on the front line of responding to a climate emergency," Dorau said.

Green growth

Before coming to the ERI, Dorau led South Bend's newly created Office of Sustainability. When she started the position in 2014, only a few other communities in Indiana had sustainability/environmental affairs departments.

Environmental offices are becoming more common, but Dorau said many city employees who work in sustainability also have other responsibilities.

In Northwest Indiana, Michigan City and the city of LaPorte have sustainability commissions, Gary has a Department of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, Valparaiso has a citizen-led sustainability group, and Highland has an advisory committee on sustainability.

“Your budget is an indication of your priorities, and if you’re not budgeting for a full-time sustainability position, that says a lot," Dorau said.

That's why the ERI's climate fellows are so important, Dorau said: They help local governments complete initiatives they wouldn't have had the capacity or resources to do on their own. In some cases, communities have even created permanent sustainability positions after participating in the ERI.

Gary and Michigan City participated in ERI's first cohort, which involved the creation of a greenhouse gas inventory. Then in 2021, Gary partnered with ERI again, using the information learned from the inventory to craft a Climate Action Plan.

The Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission, NWI Region Resilience and Earth Charter Indiana also partnered with ERI, conducting greenhouse gas inventories for Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties as well as for Cedar Lake, Chesterton, East Chicago, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station, LaPorte, Merrillville, Munster, Schererville, Valparaiso, Hammond and Portage.

Since the ERI launched in 2019, 48 local governments have participated in at least one cohort. Communities representing 44% of Indiana's population have completed greenhouse gas inventories, collectively identifying the equivalent of 34 million metric tons of carbon dioxide for elimination.

For more information about Gary's climate resilience plan, visit gary.gov/environmental-affairs.

PHOTOS: Decay Devils spruce up downtown Gary landmarks

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
The Decay Devils spruce up Union Station in downtown Gary.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
Decay Devils president Tyrell Anderson, left, approaches Union Station, which the group has been working to restore.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
A Legacy Foundation grant will restore a historic steam engine in downtown Gary.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
A steam engine in Gateway Park will be restored as part of a downtown Gary revitalization project.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
The Decay Devils will restore a historic steam engine at Gateway Park as part of a project to revitalize downtown Gary.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
Decay Devils President Tyrell Anderson is pictured at Union Station in Gary.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
An artist paints a mural under the Indiana Toll Road in downtown Gary during a Decay Devils event.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
Artists paint murals in Gateway Park in downtown Gary during a Decay Devils project.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
Artists paint murals to enliven Gateway Park in downtown Gary for a Decay Devils event.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
The Decay Devils will restore a historic steam engine at Gateway Park in downtown Gary.

Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
Artists paint murals at Gateway Park in downtown Gary during a Decay Devils event.