CO2 2022/2021 418.78 ppm / 419.45 ppm Did you have a chance to take our Michigan Climate News Reader Survey? We want to hear from you! What topics are you counting on Michigan Climate news to cover in 2022? TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! One more month: Michiganders have one more month to comment on […]
From the Headlines — February 7-11, 2022
Flood control? Detroit homeowners in 11 neighborhoods can now apply for help to install backwater valves and sump pumps in their homes to prevent basement flooding. The Basement Backup Protection Program will use $15 million received through the American Rescue Plan to pay for the program, requiring a 10% deposit from homeowners. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a plan to invest […]
OPINION: Whitmer should consider E-bike incentives to achieve Michigan climate goals equitably
We certainly applaud Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s call to action on addressing climate change through reductions in carbon emissions – especially in the transportation sector. However, reducing emissions solely through electric vehicles (EVs) is not going to get our state to carbon neutrality. The state needs a comprehensive approach that also invests in the other, more […]
Want to catch fish on Lake St. Clair? Head to Canada, study says
If you want to catch a fish in Lake St. Clair, your odds are better in Canadian waters, according to a new study of catch rates on the U.S. and Canadian sides of the lake. The first-ever binational Lake St. Clair-wide small fish survey was conducted in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, […]
Is ‘renewable natural gas’ a real option to power Michigan? Consultant with ties to DTE and Consumers hired by regulators to help decide
This story was produced in partnership with Outlier Media. State regulators have hired a consulting firm with financial ties to DTE Energy and Consumers Energy to assess whether Michigan should scale up production of renewable natural gas, a controversial fuel of questionable economic and environmental value. Renewable natural gas (RNG), or biogas, is touted by […]
From the Headlines — January 31 – February 4, 2022
More than lead: A number of harmful chemicals like PFAS compounds and pesticides are showing up in Metro Detroit drinking water, according to a searchable database put together by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Many of these are considered safe to consume in small quantities, although EWG says the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations for drinking water are “out of […]
Camden, Newark, & Baltimore lead in building equitable access to urban tree canopy
Sheila Roberts recalls walking through Cooper Plaza, the Camden, N.J. neighborhood she calls home in 2002, noticing something unusual: a newly planted, tree-lined street. “Immediately upon looking at the street, I didn’t notice the trash. I didn’t notice the graffiti. And I didn’t notice how unkempt the street was,” Roberts says. “And it was because […]
Cleveland’s reforesting efforts take root in once-redlined neighborhoods
Gwendolyn Garth is no stranger to a blank canvas. A self-defined “artivist” who blends art and activism to positively impact Cleveland’s neighborhoods, Garth has left her colorful fingerprint on numerous community murals and outreach projects across Cleveland. Now she’s set her sights on beautifying the city’s vacant lots—and helping to replenish the city’s tree canopy […]
Why Detroit needs a plan for tree equity
Disease has wiped out many of the trees that once grew around Robert Turner’s house near 6 Mile and Schaefer highway. He says the trees first started coming down in the 1960s, many of them victims of Dutch elm disease. Then in 2002, the emerald ash borer, first discovered in Detroit, took out a few more. Those […]
Climate change threatens Michigan's fruit belt, energy equity advocates win case
CO2 2022/2021 418.23 ppm / 416.07 ppm Did you have a chance to take our Michigan Climate News Reader Survey? We want to hear from you! What topics are you counting on Michigan Climate news to cover in 2022? TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! Public comment: Michiganders had a chance to weigh in on the […]