CO2 2022/2021 : 418.43 ppm / 416.08 ppm Dear Michigan Climate News readers, In this week's news, transmission lines in the midwest will get a new investment to enable more renewable energy connections and increase reliability. The news is not good for Monarch butterflies. And hot weather = a fire alert in the Thumb. Read […]
Ann Arbor's net-zero neighborhood breaks ground
This is part in an ongoing series about Michiganders working toward climate solutions. Know someone we should write about? Hit reply! SUBSCRIBE TO MICHIGAN CLIMATE NEWS! Construction recently began in Ann Arbor on a new solar-powered, all-electric, sustainable housing development. The ecovillage, planned to open in 2023, will host a local food grocery store, a […]
From the Headlines- July 18 – 22
Climate emergency: On Thursday, 100 million people in the Lower 48 were under heat alerts, and 60 million Americans in 16 states were experiencing temperatures of 100 degrees or higher. A “heat dome” or ridge of high pressure had settled over the Southwest but also drifted to the Mid-Atlantic, locking in high temperatures for days. Luckily, Michigan has been spared […]
OPINION: Moving beyond coal in Michigan, despite W. Va vs. EPA SCOTUS decision
Last month, the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to EPA’s ability to fight climate change, holding in West Virginia v. EPA that the agency may not use its most effective tool under the federal Clean Air Act to reduce climate-disrupting carbon pollution from the electric power sector. But as damaging and backward as this […]
Will climate change make Michigan the next Sonoma Valley?
CO2 2022/2021 : 418.82 ppm / 418.87 ppm Dear Michigan Climate News readers, This week, hope for climate action seemed to slip away as much of the globe and parts of Michigan grapple with a heat wave. In good news? Michigan may become a refuge for wine growers. This month's policy tracker takes a look […]
Policy Tracker: Michigan taxpayer-funded methane infrastructure & tax credits for ethanol sales?
SUBSCRIBE TO MICHIGAN CLIMATE NEWS! Dear Michigan Climate News readers, This edition of our monthly policy tracker explores bills to promote ethanol and a funding measure to promote methane gas infrastructure. These updates follow the European Parliament's designation of natural gas as a "green fuel" for investment purposes and begs the question: Is gas green? […]
GLWA denies all flood claims from 2021; lawsuits will continue
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) announced Tuesday it would deny claims filed by more than 24,000 water and sewer customers related to the June 2021 basement flooding that impacted thousands of homes across Metro Detroit. GLWA, which provides water and sewer service to the Detroit region, said in a statement that it would begin […]
SPONSORED POST: If you can’t beat ‘em, eat’em: Friends of Johnson Nature Center and Sylvan Table to co-host ‘forest to table’ dinner event and benefit
If you’re exploring the outdoors in Metro Detroit, you might find Chef Chris Gadulka and his staff raiding a nearby patch of dandelion greens or plucking berries from a local autumn olive bush. But they’re not just pruning; they’re foraging – and masterminding ideas for using local plants in the pestos, salads, and tartlets at […]
From the Headlines- July 11 – 15
Ozone action: Metro Detroit experienced its second ozone action day this year on Monday, July 11. Environmental regulators told residents in southeast Michigan and counties on the west side of the state to reduce outdoor activities and avoid refueling their vehicles, using lawn equipment, or using charcoal lighter fluid, among other things. Ozone action days are called when hot weather […]
Detroit’s incinerator is coming down. Now, neighbors want a say in repairing toxic legacy.
Published in partnership with BridgeDetroit Detroit has sought to reassure neighbors that they will include community voices in the next steps. Advocates and residents cite a lack of public engagement. Each day, the now-shuttered Detroit incinerator on Russell Street burned thousands of pounds of trash and released emissions that worsened health issues for many nearby […]