By Anna Barnes
In Michigan, sugar maple populations are rising and eastern redbud trees are making their way north, while coniferous trees, like the black spruce, continue to decline. One suspected cause: climate warming.
Climate
Scientists debunk UFO claims about rare interstellar comet
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By Clara Lincolnhol
Online rumors are swirling that a comet from another solar system might be a UFO — but Michigan State University researchers say that’s pure speculation. It’s definitely a comet, they insist, with no credible reason to believe otherwise.
Climate
Michigan residents have surprisingly higher risk of being struck by lightning
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By Clara Lincolnhol
Michigan experiences hundreds of thousands of lightning strikes each year and ranks 25th in lightning density per square mile, according to data from last year. Lightning strikes in Michigan are on the lower side of the scale because the state gets fewer storms than many others. But the number of people struck by lightning in the state is disproportionately high.
Climate
Can Michigan’s forests survive climate change? One researcher is finding out
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By Emilio Perez Ibarguen
As Michigan’s climate warms, tree species like red pine and eastern white pine may no longer thrive here. Their native regions are moving north faster than forests can keep up with. That could have devastating consequences for Michigan’s $26.5 billion timber industry and rob the state of the ecological services the forest provides like carbon storage, water filtration and wildlife habitats. To help forests stand a chance, Michigan State University forest genetics assistant professor Jeremy Johnson is experimenting with “assisted tree migration.”
Climate
Wild rice being affected by climate change
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By Isabella Figueroa
To the Ojibwe, manoomin is more than a plant: It’s a sacred relative. However, as lakes warm and waters rise, their ancient bond is being tested by climate change.
Climate
Climate change is making Great Lakes water birds sick, research shows
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By Clara Lincolnhol
Climate change is making it easier for Great Lakes water birds to get sick, according to a recent University of Illinois study. Data from the last 50 years shows an increase in avian disease as climate change worsens, said study co-author Nathan Alexander.
Climate
Ice fishing returns to Lake Erie after years of thin ice and open water
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By Clara Lincolnhol
Ice fishing has returned to Lake Erie this year after several seasons of thin ice and open water. Business owners and anglers have noted an increase in activity, with some reporting higher turnout than in previous years. At the same time, changing ice conditions in recent years have raised questions about long-term trends on the Great Lakes.
Climate
Michigan climate action plans must better address marginalized communities, study finds
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By Georgia Hill
Many local governments in Michigan are taking steps to address climate change, but a recent study suggests that their efforts often overlook communities most vulnerable to environmental hazards.
Climate
Hotter temperatures worsen health inequalities in Detroit
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By Ayushya Gautam
Big buildings, concrete and roads paint Detroit, just as they do other cities across the country. As a result, the city’s temperature also tends to be hotter than in nearby communities.
Cities are prone to the heat island effect, a phenomenon in which urban areas experience more heat than rural or even nearby suburban areas due to the concentration of infrastructure.
Climate
Many elderly Ohioans feel unprepared for severe weather, study finds
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By Clara Lincolnhol
Ohio took a beating from a record-breaking 73 tornadoes in 2024. Twisters and other severe weather events are becoming more common in the Midwest due to climate change, and seniors are more at risk. As the threat from major storms grows, roughly one in five older adults living in central Ohio say they feel unprepared or uncertain of their readiness for a severe weather event, according to a recent study conducted by The Ohio State University. The study surveyed more than 1,400 individuals aged 65 and older living in eight counties to gauge their preparedness for a severe weather event. Questions were based on storm-readiness recommendations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Overall, 78% of participants said they felt prepared for severe weather, 13% said they did not and 9% felt unsure.
The study also asked individuals if severe weather caused them significant life disruptions, such as preventing them from getting to doctor’s appointments or from accessing medication or other vital supplies.
Climate
Great Lakes region hit hard by steel industry pollution, report finds
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By Joshua Kim
Pollution from coal-based steel production causes hundreds of premature deaths each year, with people in the Great Lakes region bearing much of the burden, according to a recent report. The nonprofit research group Industrious Labs looked at 17 coal-based steel plants and coke facilities operating in the United States and the health and environmental problems they cause in surrounding communities.
Emissions from these facilities include pollutants linked to significant health and environmental problems, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, fine particulate matter and lead.
Together their pollution is responsible for as many as 892 premature deaths per year, according to Industrious Labs. Those emissions also trigger around 250,000 cases of asthma symptoms annually, are linked to cancer rates 12% to 26% higher than the national average and result in up to $13.2 billion in annual health care costs, the report says.
The group based its results on an Environmental Protection Agency computer model that uses self-reported industry data. “Communities don’t have access to this type of information,” said Hilary Lewis, the steel director at Industrious Labs. “By doing this report, we are giving people who live closest to these facilities, who are most impacted, who are most likely to be experiencing these health harms, a tool in advocating for cleaner alternatives.”
All but one of the country’s coke plants and all of its operating coal-based steel plants are located in Great Lakes states, according to the report.