Overview:
- An event later this month in Detroit will look at how environmental justice plays into Michigan's climate work.
- "Here’s an opportunity to tell state government how to address both your lived experience and climate at the same time," says Regina Strong, Michigan's environmental justice public advocate.
- Read Planet Detroit's tips for civic engagement on Michigan's climate road map.
As Michigan works toward a goal of 100% carbon neutrality by 2050, a Jan. 14 engagement session in Detroit will zero in on the role of justice and equity in the state’s climate plan.
The event is a follow-up from an October 2024 session that focused on collaborative planning for just and equitable climate action, according to the organizer of the sessions, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
It’s set for 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14 at the IBEW Local 58 Zero Net Energy Center, 1358 Abbott St. in Detroit. Preregistration is required.
The engagement session aims to address community needs and the bigger climate picture, Regina Strong, the state’s environmental justice public advocate, told Planet Detroit Monday.
“Coming to an event like this, you get to share, and learn more, and tell the folks in government who are figuring out how to implement this (climate plan) what’s important to you,” Strong said.
The earlier input from the public was used in the development of the state’s Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, published in December as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.
The report groups analysis of Michigan’s targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in six economic pillars, with environmental justice “embedded in all reduction measures across all pillars.”
The pillars are: electricity generation, transportation, commercial and residential buildings, industry, waste and wastewater, and nature and working lands.
The 2022 MI Healthy Climate Plan sets a goal of 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.
How climate solutions are ‘good solutions for people’
Specific Michigan climate solutions are found within each of the pillars in the state’s road map, said Liesl Clark, director of climate action engagement at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.
Clark gave the example of deploying renewable energy and greening the state’s electric grid, which she said has the effect of both decarbonizing Michigan and making the lives of residents more comfortable.
“In many cases, we’re talking about products and we’re talking about services that just make your life better, they make your house more comfortable. They help your kids not have asthma, they decrease the air pollution in your communities. They’re good solutions for people regardless of the fact that they’re also good climate solutions. And so, to me, that’s what the real benefit is.”
Clark and Dr. Tony Reames, associate professor and director at the School for Environment and Sustainability’s Detroit Sustainability Clinic, will present at the Jan. 14 engagement session. Reames is a member of the Planet Detroit Advisory Board.
The discussion being held later this month is not about specific projects, but rather is about sharing information about the state’s climate activities and seeking feedback, said Clark, who served as EGLE’s director before joining the Ann Arbor university.
EGLE’s Strong said the communities least able to deal with climate-driven issues often have the most to contend with, because they’re the older communities with older infrastructure.
“Here’s an opportunity to tell state government how to address both your lived experience and climate at the same time.”
🗳️ What’s next? Tips for civic action
Why it matters
⚡ The state is seeking community participation to help shape the role of justice and equity in the deployment of Michigan’s climate work, with a target of 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.
Who’s making civic decisions
🏛️ The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
How to take civic action now
- 📅 Attend the Environmental Justice in Climate Action Engagement Session from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14 at the IBEW Local 58 Zero Net Energy Center, 1358 Abbott St. in Detroit. Preregistration is required.
- 🌱 Follow public events held by Michigan’s environmental regulator at this page.
- 📩 Email EGLE-OCE@Michigan.gov with program questions and Alana Berthold, BertholdA@Michigan.gov, with registration questions. Individuals needing language assistance or accommodations for effective participation at this event should contact Joel Roseberry at 517-599-9494 to request language, mobility, visual, hearing, translation, and/or other assistance.
- 📖 Read Michigan’s Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, published in December, at this link.
What to watch for next
🗓️ How decisions in Michigan’s government and private sector incorporate the state’s climate goals.
Civic impact
🌍 Community participation in Michigan’s climate work has the potential to elevate environmental justice concerns in communities like Detroit and address both the state’s long-term climate impact and specific challenges such as utility affordability and air quality.
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Detroit’s ozone status downgraded: What’s next in the fight for clean air?
The Sixth Circuit ruling returns Southeast Michigan to nonattainment status for ozone and requires state regulators to adopt additional pollution control rules before seeking redesignation.
