3 reasons local climate activism is more powerful than people realize Students rally for fossil fuel-free energy at the University of California, San Diego. Erik Jepsen/UCSD Adam Aron, University of California, San Diego Global warming has increased the number of extreme weather events around the world by 400% since the 1980s. Countries know how to stop […]
Posted inCommunity
Here comes 2023!
Last week Planet Detroit recapped some of the most important stories of 2022. Here are the stories we’ll be keeping a close eye on in the coming year: Will DTE clean up its act? One of the most consequential climate and energy justice issues this year is likely to be DTE Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which shows […]
Posted inVoices
OPINION: Not-so-Grand
Stellantis has racked up seven air quality violations since 2021 at its Mack plant on Detroit’s east side.
Posted inSolutions
As flooding increases, Chicago looks to make basement housing safer
This story is part of a collaborative series, from the Institute for Nonprofit News, Borderless Magazine, Planet Detroit and four other news partners, examining climate resilience across the Great Lakes. This reporting was made possible with support from the Joyce Foundation. Chicago has experienced more frequent and severe storms in recent decades, putting immigrants and low […]
Posted inCommunity
Do you have something to say about your neighborhood?
Planet Detroit is partnering with Cleveland’s The Land on a special opportunity to train local residents who want to write about their neighborhoods, local government, civic issues, and more. Participants work with experienced journalists to learn how to write a story and get published in Planet Detroit. No experience is necessary, just a passion for […]
Posted inAccountability
Will Dem lawmakers reform Michigan’s environmental protections?
Michigan’s environmental regs have seen decades of rollbacks under Republican leadership. With control of the governor’s seat and the Michigan Legislature, Democrats are in a position to reverse that in 2023. Will they? Environmental lawyer Nick Leonard says the Stellantis plant on the east side of Detroit is a good example of how Michigan officials […]
Posted inSolutions
Climate solutions for Great Lakes power grid include better planning, transmission
This story is part of a collaborative series, from the Institute for Nonprofit News, the Energy News Network and four other news partners, examining climate resilience across the Great Lakes. This reporting was made possible with support from the Joyce Foundation. Advocates say electric grid operators need to update their planning process to better prepare for […]
Posted inAccountability
Study details impact of COVID-19 pandemic on energy bills
By BORJANA ALIACapital News Service LANSING – Energy bills rose in households across the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows. That, in turn, created energy insecurity in many households, which led to looking for techniques for coping with finances and behavior, the researchers said. Financial and behavioral coping techniques include cutting […]
Posted inCommunity
2022: Year in Review
In 2022, metro Detroit averted some of the more spectacular disasters of recent years. There wasn’t the same widespread basement flooding as in 2021, no green ooze appeared on I-696, and the banks of the Detroit River seemed to stop collapsing. But Detroiters continued to deal with the same grinding environmental injustices, including air pollution, […]
Posted inVoices
OPINION | 2022: The year we struck back
To meet the challenges of the global climate crisis, we need bold ideas and to speak truth to power. That’s the idea behind Climate/Justice, a Planet Detroit opinion column written by Detroit-based environmental justice activist Michelle Martinez. Martinez writes not only as an activist but as a mother and fourth-generation Detroiter. Martinez will be donating […]