Regional teams from around Wisconsin are attending a climate change summit. Thinking globally, acting locally could be the theme of today's climate change summit at UW Stevens Point. Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton says a key element of the one day summit on the UWSP campus is bringing together local business and political leaders with scientists who study climate change, which will impact communities in different parts of Wisconsin differently — as seen in the floods this past spring — but communities can prepare for climate change, and so can businesses. Lawton says the bold steps needed to take on the global climate crisis can really be taken in small, incremental steps right here in Wisconsin.
Linda Stoll with the university's Center for Land Use Education says public and private leaders will brainstorm ideas about how they can reduce their impact on the environment. The summit is organized into different workshops on topics like energy use, transportation and local food markets. Stoll says the answer requires more than one solution. The summit is hosted by the university and the lieutenant governor's office along with other environmental and municipal organizations.