climate change

This winter in Washtenaw County has been notably colder and snowier than most of the past decade. It has created inconveniences and hardships. But there may be some benefits to all of the snow and cold. Snowier winters play an important ecological role beyond what we experience at the surface. WEMU's David Fair was joined by U-M Biological Station researcher, Dr. Olivia Vought to explore this winter’s environmental benefits and how it all works.

The federal administration is cutting environmental programs and funding and further reducing regulations on polluting. The political environment in Washington, in and of itself, is toxic. On the February edition of WEMU’s "1st Friday Focus on the Environment," WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak were joined by Democratic Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin to discuss policy and politics.

The annual Detroit Auto Show opens to the public on January 17th. Electric vehicles are already embedded in local climate policy as a required component of meeting adopted emissions targets. Affordability has become a significant issue, and these cost pressures affect communities differently within Washtenaw County. WEMU's David Fair looked at the impact of EV’s in our community with Charles Griffith from the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center.

A lot of folks are about to hit the road or the airports with Christmas right around the corner. Gregory Keoleian is the director of the U-M's Center for Sustainable Systems. He joined WEMU's David Fair to talk about how best to minimize our carbon footprint and still get to where we want to go.

Over this past summer, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy named a new chief climate officer. Alessandra Carreon was named to the position over the summer after serving on the Michigan Public Service commission. It is a challenging time to try and follow through on adaptation and resiliency policies. Alessandra will discuss how EGLE is proceeding and what the goal is by the end of the Whitmer Administration at the end of 2026 with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak.

The Department of Energy sent an email to employees directing them to avoid language like “climate change.” WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor spoke to a University of Michigan climate scientist about the implications.

In September, The University of Michigan will hold its first Climate Week. The idea is to create a series of events and activities to further engage the community in climate action and sustainability. It comes against the backdrop of dramatic rollbacks in environmental and climate protections at the federal level. Dr. Shalanda Baker is the school's first-ever Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action. She discussed that and more with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak.

Michigan environmental activists say a Trump Administration plan to pull back from clean air regulations would hurt the state. Colin Jackson has more.

The federal administration has laid off hundreds of staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the impact is already being felt locally and in region. Moving forward, there is the potential NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab in Ann Arbor could be shut down. WEMU's David Fair spoke with Nicole Rice about where it stands now and where it may be headed. Rice is among those already fired from the lab in Ann Arbor.

Michigan’s air quality has nosedived in recent weeks, due to wildfire smoke from Canada. At one point, Detroit was listed as the third most polluted city in the world. The blanket of haze that has covered the region, including Washtenaw County, has prompted several air quality advisories. WEMU's Caroline MacGregor talks to Dr. MeiLan Han, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan Health, to get a better understanding of how particulate matter from wildfire smoke affects our overall health.