Is water the key to revitalizing the Great Lakes region?

Is water the key to revitalizing the Great Lakes region?
Is water the key to revitalizing the Great Lakes region?

Is water the key to revitalizing the Great Lakes region?

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The states with the fastest growing populations aren’t in the Great Lakes region. They’re out West in places like California and Arizona. But extended drought is making freshwater increasingly scarce there and climate change is expected to exacerbate the problem. Now, some cities in the Great Lakes region are trying to to lure business back to the Midwest with their abundant water supplies. Cities like Dayton and Milwaukee are banking on the “blue economy” as a tool for economic revitalization. We talk with Dr. Peter H. Gleick, President and Co-founder of the Pacific Institute, on the benefits to using water as a tool for economic development and if it could have unintended consequences. Photo: Flickr/danxoneil