UN Water Conference brings change to Great Lakes

by Addison Maley

Staff Writer

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

A man walks inside UN headquarters before the UN Water Conference on March 22, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations hosted the first Water Conference in 46 years from March 22-24 to ensure their 2030 Sustainable Development goals would be met. Thousands of ambassadors and experts met in New York to discuss the water crisis, inspiring Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau to pledge over $300 million dollars to fund Great Lakes protection.

The Great Lakes hold 20% of the world’s freshwater supply and over 90% of the United States’, according to the Great Lakes Commission. The United Nations predicts the strain on freshwater sources will grow exponentially over the next few decades, making it increasingly important to protect these valuable sources.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Vice Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, emphasized the importance of the Lakes in a statement following Trudeau’s pledge. “The Great Lakes are among the United States and Canada’s greatest natural treasures,” citing their many economic benefits and crucial water supply for millions.

Klobuchar has advocated for bipartisan environmental protections throughout her career, and as co-chair of the bipartisan U.S.-Canada group, she calls increased funding “a welcome announcement from the Canadian government,”

Despite shared responsibility over four of the five Lakes, Canada has fallen short in funding for decades. Since the 2010 Great Lakes Restoration Project, the United States has consistently spent approximately $400 million dollars per year on maintenance and restoration, while Canada has only allocated a mere $33 million since 2017.

Though some experts are calling it too little too late, those who frequent the area hope to see a tangible improvement.

After visiting Lake Erie, Audrey Bruntz (10) wishes to see an overall cleanup. “It’s very dirty and polluted in general, and at this point anything can help,”

Daniel Slivka (11) feels similarly, hoping annual severe algae blooms will improve. “Toward the end of the year you almost can’t swim in it,”

Warm, shallow water and frequent nutrient runoff create breeding grounds for blue-green algae blooms.

If agricultural runoff is limited, Slivka says “clearer water will be more attractive to tourists, and it would give [Erie] a better reputation.”

Erie took the national stage in 1969 after catching on fire due to industrial pollution from the Cuyahoga River, and its reputation has yet to recover. In 2023, Erie is still known for its devastating pollution and history of natural disaster.

The remaining three lakes bordering Canada, Superior, Huron and Ontario, are battling invasive species as well as pollution. Canada hopes to prevent further spread of non-native wildlife, such as zebra and quagga mussels with new financing.

With hundreds of millions of dollars in increased funding for the Great Lakes, those on the border and beyond eagerly await the results of Canada’s newest environmental project.