By Audrey Richardson for Great Lakes Echo.
Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Michigan News Connection reporting for Solutions Journalism-Public News Service Collaboration

A start up company recently got design approval to build a ship that moves cargo with sails rather than fuel.

The 330-foot-long, hydrogen cell powered sailing vessel is proposed by the Veer Group, a Bahamas-based company committed to zero carbon emissions. The design was approved by the American Bureau of Shipping.

"If there was a desire for this in the Great Lakes, it would just make me super happy to be able to fulfill that," said Veer CEO Danielle Doggett.

Whether such vessels will someday ply the Great Lakes is uncertain. But interest is high in decarbonizing shipping. Globally, shipping's 100,000 vessels are responsible for 3% of carbon emissions, according to Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center, a nonprofit research company committed to decarbonizing the maritime industry.

The Maritime Administration recently announced a study to explore low carbon options for shipping on the Great Lakes. The group, which includes the International Council on Clean Transportation, the American Bureau of Shipping and others, is looking at alternative fuels and power. The study will examine environmentally friendly fuel alternatives like biofuel and how to incorporate different power systems, like hydrogen fuel cells, into Great Lakes shipping, according to a press release.

Combustion engines have dominated the shipping industry since the 1930s. Veer is looking to bring sailing cargo back, Doggett said. The company seeks funding to begin an 18-month build and have two vessels sailing by 2024 and six by 2026.

Greenhouse gas emissions significantly contribute to climate change. They increase global temperatures, weather variability and air pollution. The Great Lakes have seen the effects of emissions from increased flooding, algal blooms and soil erosion.

"Veer sail ships in the Great Lakes would make a lot of sense," Doggett said.

One reason is that Veer's plans are consistent with the clean shipping goals of the U.S. and Canada, Doggett said. Another component for the Great Lakes is that the hydrogen fuel cells produce freshwater. It would be nice to excrete freshwater into a freshwater lake rather than into the ocean, Doggett said.

Growing up around the Great Lakes ships in Kingston, Ontario, inspired her field of work, she said.

Cleaner shipping comes at a crucial time for action, said University of Michigan Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Professor Matthew Collette.

In 2021, the U.S. joined a United Nations coalition to reach net zero emissions. The executive order emphasized the goal to reach net zero carbon emissions from federal operations by 2050. Reaching zero means replacing energy sources that produce man-made emissions with renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power.

"If we want to be at zero carbon by 2050, the decisions we make in the next five years are really going to shape what fuel will become dominant," Collette said.

Great Lakes vessels primarily see the impact of climate change through variability in lake levels, extreme cold weather and major weather events, said Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers' Association, a group participating in the Maritime Administration study.

"If the levels are low, or lower than normal, for each inch of water we lose as much as 270 tons of cargo per vessel load," said Weakley, whose organization moves over 90 million tons of cargo throughout the Great Lakes each year.

The group wants to reduce the risk of climate change and is open to using Veer Group vessels once they are sailing, said Debra DiCianna, director of environmental affairs for the Lake Carriers' Association.

But using the existing ships on the Great Lakes would be better, she said.

"With our membership and their existing fleet, they are doing well at hauling the cargo that they need to," she said.

Veer's sailing vessels may be part of the solution, Collette said. But figuring out a balance of technologies and fuel is the way to a more sustainable future.

"We don't have a single winning technology today that everyone is pointing to and saying this is the way forward," he said.

While Veer's methods may not be in the cards for the Great Lakes for another few years, the idea of sail-assist to reduce emissions is relevant today, Collette said.

It is easier to update existing Great Lakes vessels by adding sails or replacing combustion engines with a lower sulfur level fuel cell, he said.

"Adding sails to existing ships might reduce emissions from 10% to 30%, he said. "But I think we are also going to have to figure out a zero carbon fuel source for them."

Alternative fuels that don't involve burning a hydrocarbon include methanol, ammonia or hydrogen, Collette said.

"I think there's a lot of work to be done on figuring out which one of those will be the most effective," he said.

Decarbonizing Great Lakes shipping may require multiple approaches.

"We need to make sure we are taking a holistic view of minimizing our impact on the Lakes and the people who live around the lakes," Collette said.


Audrey Richardson wrote this article for Great Lakes Echo.


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The U.S. Supreme Court this month declined to hear a case brought by youth activists, who argued the federal government has failed to protect them from climate change.

Minnesota teens are also elevating their voices on this topic. The court case was seen as a potential game-changer in highlighting the influence the fossil fuel industry has on federal policy.

Separately, a coalition of Minnesota high school students is pushing the Legislature to approve a bill that would bring climate justice education to classrooms in the state.

Wayzata High School Sophomore Ansh Shah said if his generation will have to help with solutions, they'll need the facts.

"We haven't had stuff taught to us on our own," said Shah. "We have to go out and we have to find all these information sources ourselves. And if we had, like, actual curriculum in schools, it'll make it a lot easier for people to be informed on this and actually want to make an effort."

The bill calls for a model program - consistent with state standards - with some focus on how marginalized communities often face the worst effects of climate change.

Similar to the national court case, the Minnesota effort has run into setbacks. Earlier proposals didn't gain traction in recent legislative sessions - and so far, this one hasn't received much attention.

But like their peers elsewhere in the country, these Minnesota students feel their effort will turn some heads, even if they're not always successful.

Fellow Wayzata Sophomore Vedanth Srinivasf said despite the urgent tone associated with climate change, it's important to think longer-term.

"Climate change isn't something that's going to be solved in the next 10 years," said Srinivasf. "It'll have to be solved in the next 50 years. So, starting right now, through small incremental steps, is a solution."

These students will be well into their professional careers by the time Minnesota is required to meet its goal of generating 100% carbon-free electricity in the state.

A landmark law signed by Gov. Tim Walz two years ago says that mandate has to be met by 2040.




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The Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment, an important resource for managing drought and other climate extremes, was published today. The assessment tracks impacts of weather conditions on different sectors across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The 2024 water year, which starts and ends in the fall, was Washington's fourth warmest in more than 100 years. Higher temperatures and low snowpack contributed to drought in much of the state, according to the new data.

Karin Bumbaco, climatologist and lead author of the assessment, says the research is helpful to understand cumulative impacts of drought on the region.

"Even though our snowpack is doing better now compared with last year, that really has to be seen through the lens of deficits from the previous year and even before," she explained.

Bumbaco added that in the last decade, droughts have been more frequent than usual in Washington. The assessment focuses on impacts of either too much or too little water on seven sectors, including agriculture, drinking water, fisheries and forestry.

Bumbaco said the agricultural sector in Washington reported the highest number of impacts from dry conditions last year.

"That can range from limited water availability, reduced crop yields. There was also quite a few reports about negative consequences for livestock and grazing," she continued.

Bumbaco said heat, fire and smoke forced recreation areas to close, and the drought brought increased insect activity and tree mortality. This is the fifth Water Year Assessment, and Bumbaco added that along with the challenges she has noticed more people working to mitigate impacts of a changing climate.

"There seems to be more climate resilience being built across our region. And people are taking actions to kind of avoid the worst impacts from either really wet conditions or really dry conditions," she said.

For example, she said farmers are changing crops, as well as the timing of irrigation, and monitoring water use and availability more closely. While some areas of the state saw reduced stream flow, increasing salmon mortality, the assessment was not all bad news. Bumbaco said a well-timed August rain supported a record salmon run in North Central Washington.





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The feasibility of putting solar panels over the state's network of canals is the topic of a big new research project, co-led by the University of Southern California.

The California Solar Canal Initiative builds on a study from the University of California-Merced, which found solar arrays over the canals could generate clean energy, conserve water, reduce air pollution and save land.

Monica Dean, director of climate and sustainability practice at the University of Southern California-Dornsife, said the research will answer practical questions.

"How would we do it? Which canals make the most sense? How much energy could they actually produce? What would the economic implications of doing this be?" Dean outlined. "We're taking a hypothetical scenario and making it real."

The research phase will last about two years and is expected to provide a roadmap for policymakers, utilities and communities. The original Merced study estimated covering the Golden State's canals with solar panels could generate enough electricity to power about 2 million homes each year.

Covered canals also prevent evaporation and could save enough water to meet the residential needs of up to 2 million people per year and they could lower maintenance costs, since fewer weeds grow in shade.

Dean estimated the arrays could save about 50,000 acres of land.

"Rather than needing to put a solar panel on land that could be used for housing or farming or some other purpose, now you're just repurposing existing infrastructure and making it work a little bit harder," Dean emphasized.

The initiative is cosponsored by the independent advisory firm Solar AquaGrid. It will also include faculty from the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California-Irvine, the University of California-Merced and the University of California College of the Law-San Francisco, plus San Jose State University and the University of Kansas.