Climate change continues to be the greatest challenge our Great Lakes are facing this Earth Day.
Canadian Research Chair for Great Lakes Environmental Health Doug Haffner says the lakes have become some of the fastest warming large bodies of water in the world.
They also make up 60% of the country's GDP, yet they're only 1% renewable each year.
"In terms of, if we do something bad, things will get better -- the Great Lakes are a system that will remember every insult that we place on them over time," explains Haffner.
He says education on dumping oil down drains or other waste water straight into the lakes needs to improve, especially for people immigrating to the region.
The research chair does, however, applaud efforts in recent years to drastically improve the quality of water in the Detroit River, in which Windsor's new storm water interceptors play a big role, but stresses that we all need to continue to be proactive in protecting such a valuable resource.
