Climate change (global warming)

Climate change (sometimes referred to as global warming) is a significant change in temperature, precipitation, or wind, lasting for an extended period of time. It may result from natural factors or human activities such as burning fossil fuels or changes in land surfaces (e.g. deforestation, urbanization, etc.). Burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, contributes to an increase in heat-trapping “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping to space much like a greenhouse that is used to grow plants. Some greenhouse gases are necessary because they keep the earth’s surface warm enough to support life. But as the concentrations of these gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the earth’s temperature increases, which then causes changes in our climate.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources began working on climate change issues sometime around 1990 and since that time has compiled a number of reports including estimates of greenhouse gas emissions, emission trends, emission reduction costs, and a climate change action plan. In April 2007 Governor Doyle signed an executive order creating a Task Force on Global Warming that will examine the effects of, and solutions to, global warming in Wisconsin, with recommendations to be made by December 2007. The Governor also directed the Department to complete a current estimate of greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

DNR climate change links and materials


  • Governor's Task Force on Global Warming
  • Wisconsin Voluntary Emission Reduction Registry
  • Wisconsin's Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Trends from 1990 to 2000. (AM-338 2004, February 2004). Due to the size of this report, the document was divided into sections to make it easier to download. Each section is a separate PDF. To obtain the complete report you must download all 10 sections (the report plus 9 appendices) in a single ZIP file.
    • To download the entire report, right-click this link, choose Save target as... and save the file to your computer's hard drive.
  • Wisconsin Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Cost Study, Report 3, Emission Reduction Cost Analysis (AM-296-98, February 1998). This report documents the costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Wisconsin through energy efficiency and fuel switching, including increasing automobile fuel efficiency. - Executive summary
    • . To obtain a print copy, please contact Caroline.Garber@wisconsin.gov.
  • Wisconsin Climate Change Action Plan – Framework for Climate Change Action (AM 271-98, May 1998). This report was produced with input, review, and discussion by the Climate Change Committee created by DNR Secretary George Meyer in 1994. It contains many recommendations on what Wisconsin can and should do to address the issue of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. WICCAP [PDF, 145KB, 56 pages]
  • Wisconsin Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Estimates for 1990 (AM-111-93, December 1993. This was the first 1990 greenhouse gas emission inventory. The report includes detailed estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from all source categories. Report 1 [PDF, 1,235KB]

The following links exit the DNR website:




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Last Reviewed: June 8, 2007
Next Review: June 8, 2008
Last Revised: Wednesday January 09 2008