WISCONSIN

With 5.9 million residents, Wisconsin is the 20th largest state in population. In land area, the state’s 54,310 square miles make it the 25th largest in the nation. The meeting place of three major ecological zones - northern coniferous forests, prairies, and southern hardwood forests - Wisconsin also has wetlands and inexplicable sandstone buttes. It borders two great lakes and has many smaller lakes itself, most carved by glaciers. 

CLIMATE IMPACTS

Wisconsinites are already witnessing major changes to their state’s climate, especially in regards to rising temperatures, drought, and flooding. 

• Temperatures have risen 2°F warmer than it was in the beginning of the 20th century.
• Oddly, although Wisconsin is known for its sub-zero winters, extreme heat is actually the #1 weather-related cause of death in the state, accounting for more fatalities than all other weather disasters combined, including tornadoes, floods, and blizzards. 
• Warmer air holds more water, leading to more precipitation, especially heavy precipitation. It is not surprising, therefore, that 2019 was the single wettest year on record for Wisconsin, along with the rest of the Midwest. Over the last 30 years, the region has seen a 15% increase in annual precipitation compared to the first half of the twentieth century. 2019’s downpours predictably led to major floods, costing the region $6.2 billion and at least four lives.
• Wisconsin is still facing a serious drought problem. There may not be more droughts than before, but when they occur they’ll be more intense than ever, only getting worse over time, in part due to earlier snowmelt, a greater frequency of dry days and higher temperatures.
• The heat, extreme rain, and harsh droughts have had a devastating effect on agriculture, one of Wisconsin’s most important industries, contributing more than $104.8 billion to the state economy.
• Over half of Wisconsin’s agricultural revenue comes from the dairy industry, which is seriously impacted by climate change because higher temperatures cause cows to eat less and produce less milk.
• Wisconsin’s ecosystems are also under attack by climate change altering the composition of forests and threatening the habitat of endangered species such as the American marten. 
• Rising water temperatures will shrink the available habitat for cold water fish such as trout and declining ice cover and increasingly severe storms add to fish habitat challenges through erosion and flooding.
• Climate change is also affecting the rhythm of Wisconsin’s natural systems, affecting the timing of natural processes such as migration, reproduction, and flower blooming. Migratory birds are arriving in the Midwest earlier in spring today than 40 years ago. Along with range shifts, the intricate web of relationships between animals and their food sources and between plants and pollinators are all being disrupted. Because not all species adjust to climate change in the same way, the food that one species eats may no longer be available when that species needs it (for example, when migrating birds arrive). Some types of animals may no longer be able to find enough food.

ENERGY 

Wisconsin does not have any fossil fuel resources of its own, so it imports coal and natural gas, much of which comes from Wyoming and Montana. 

• Down from 82% in 1997 and 51% in 2018, coal provided 32%of Wisconsin’s electricity generation in 2023. 
• Natural gas fueled 43%of Wisconsin’s in-state utility-scale generation, up from 9% in 2010. 
• Nuclear power is next at 15%.
• 9% of Wisconsin’s energy comes from renewable sources, including wind (3%), hydropower (2%), solar (less than 2%), and biomass (less than 2%).Wind energy surpassed hydropower for the first time in 2023. 
• Wisconsin is among the top 10 ethanol-producing states in the nation due to its corn production. Wisconsin produces about 680 million gallons of fuel ethanol every year, and ships much of it across state lines.
• Despite its frigid winters, Wisconsin’s energy consumption per capita is less than that of 40% of the states and only slightly above the national average. The industrial sector accounts for 33% of the energy consumed in the state, the transportation sector and the residential sector each use nearly 25%, and the commercial sector consumes one-fifth.

LEGISLATION

Fortunately, Wisconsin is taking actions to mitigate climate change. 

• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies established the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts(WICCI) in 2007 to provide state departments and legislators with a deeper understanding of climate impacts to inform policy decisions. WICCI has released two 10-year comprehensive climate impact assessment reports for Wisconsin: one in 2011and one in 2021. 
• In August, 2019 Wisconsin’s Governor Tony Evers signed Executive Order 38making Wisconsin the first state in the Midwest to commit to going 100% carbon-free by midcentury. The executive order created novel energy efficiency standards for state facilities, as well as creating a new office, The Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, to produce a comprehensive clean energy plan (CEP) for the state.. That includes training Wisconsin’s workforce to build the clean energy sector, as the order lays out. 
• In October, 2019 the governor established the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change via Executive Order 52. The Task Force includes youth activists, elected and Tribal officials, and industry professionals. They delivered their Final Report to the Governor in December 2020. The report takes a broad and systematic approach with policy recommendations and implementation strategies because as Task Force member Kristofer James Canto writes,” Like COVID-19, climate change is a global phenomenon requiring massive structural transformations of economic and social institutions.” 
• In 2021, Madison, Wisconsin moved ahead and set goals to have 100% of its municipal operations’ run with renewable energy by 2030. 
• In April 2022, the Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan was released outlining a pathway to decarbonization “and a transition to a strong clean energy economy that prioritizes environmental justice, ensures a diverse workforce, and technology innovation.” It proposes measures for Wisconsin to meet its goal of 100% carbon-free by 2050 and to fulfill the Paris Agreement, while creating clean energy jobs, improving grid reliability and efficiency, and adopting core values of equity, justice and collective action. Progress reports for the CEP are released each year. 
• Cities and towns in Wisconsin are also taking climate action.18 local governments have adopted their own sustainability, clean energy or climate action plans. Eau Claire County has set a carbon neutrality goal for 2050, and Monroe County has created a climate change task force. 

CLIMATE ACTION WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• Wisconsin participated in the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, producing a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) in 2024. Wisconsin’s PCAP, called the Wisconsin Emissions Reduction Roadmap, includes a GHG inventory, GHG reduction measures, and a low-income disadvantaged communities benefits analysis, drawing on previous efforts including the WICCI reports and the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change.  

COLLABORATION WITH OTHER STATES 

• In October 2021, Wisconsin joined the other Great Lakes states in a pledge to collaborate on the development and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to help accelerate vehicle electrification across the Midwest.
• Wisconsin is one of twenty -four states, and Puerto Rico, committed to the U.S. Climate Alliance, which is working to implement policies that advance the goals of the Paris Agreement.