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 […]
Posted inSolutions
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 […]
Posted inSolutions
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 […]
Posted inSolutions
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 […]
Posted inUncategorized
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 […]
Posted inUncategorized
LIVE: How can Detroit best prepare for climate migration?
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 THE READER SURVEY HERE! As climate disasters increase, displacement and climate migration will increase. We can expect Michigan and Detroit to be […]
Posted inUncategorized
From the Headlines — January 24 – 28, 2022
Limited data: A community meeting intended to inform the public about the Stellantis facilities on the east side of Detroit seemed to generate more questions than answers, including why the plant was allowed to continue operating for several months after it was discovered that emissions weren’t being properly treated. Representatives for Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), […]
Posted inCommunity
What are the challenges and opportunities for climate migration in Michigan?
Climate migrants may not yet be flooding into Michigan, but eventually (as we discussed in part one of this series on climate migration in Michigan), they will. And though we may not yet know when or how many – it’s likely will come. So what can we do to start planning for them? Susan Ekoh, […]
Posted inUncategorized
It's getting icy
CO2 2022/2021 418.96 ppm / 416.4 ppm https://www.co2.earth/daily-co2 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 THE READER SURVEY HERE! Frosty lakes: A few weeks ago, we shared news of […]
Posted inVoices
OPINION: Can a carbon tax support environmental justice?
This past summer, homes in Detroit were flooded with up to five feet of sewage backup after heavy rains dumped six inches of water overnight. It took weeks and more than $10,000 (not reimbursed by insurance) for my home in East English Village to be restored to a livable condition. Two weeks later, our homes […]