Through the Climate Change Impacts Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Canada and the United States have committed to:
“… contribute to the achievement of the General and Specific Objectives of this Agreement by coordinating efforts to identify, quantify, understand, and predict the climate change impacts on the quality of the Waters of the Great Lakes, and sharing information that Great Lakes resource managers need to proactively address these impacts.”
Canada and the United States agree to:
For additional information on the focus of actions under this Annex, consult the current Priorities for Science and Action. The Priorities are based on an evaluation of the State of the Great Lakes, with input from the Great Lakes Executive Committee, participants at the Great Lakes Public Forum, and recommendations of the International Joint Commission.
Every six months, progress on this annex is reported at the Great Lakes Executive Committee meetings. Accomplishments will be described in the Progress Report of the Parties every three years, with the first expected in 2016.
This annex is being implemented by a subcommittee co-led by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Member organizations include:
An extended subcommittee involves additional organizations and experts beyond the GLEC membership.