What They’re Saying in the Heartland: COP27 and America’s Global Climate Leadership

No matter where you live on this earth, the impact of climate shocks are felt globally. The swings between flooding and drought impact the flow and availability of water as evidenced in the Horn of Africa and Britain, but also closer to America’s Heartland in Nebraska and Missouri which puts sustained and adequate food production at risk.

Approximately 75 percent of U.S. farmland used to grow winter wheat is experiencing drought, including nine of every 10 acres in Kansas – a top wheat producing state. As such, only 28 percent of the U.S. winter wheat crop is rated in “good” or “excellent” condition—a drop of almost 20 percent since last year. This not only decreases yields and affects food access, but it also threatens America’s economic growth. Reports suggests that the supply chain impacts from the Mississippi River’s historically low water levels may cost the U.S. economy $20 billion due to lost exports.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) is an annual meeting of international stakeholders such as governments, private sector organizations, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, philanthropies, and others to assess global progress in addressing climate change and to agree on new actions to limit extreme rises in temperatures. This year’s conference, COP27—which began on November 8 and concludes on November 18 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt—offers an opportunity for the United States to show how seriously it is addressing the drivers of climate change and easing its effects on low-and middle-income countries, as well as strengthening preparedness at home for more acute climate shocks. President Joe Biden, bipartisan members of Congress, private sector leaders, and NGO organizations are attending the conference as evidence of that action.

Here is what some of USGLC’s State Advisory Committee leaders have to say about America’s role in the world leading climate action at COP27.