Health and climate justice experts caution against labeling Michigan a ‘climate haven’  ⋆ Michigan Advance

Lake Erie | Susan J. Demas

Updated, 7:31 p.m., 8/5/23

Amid record high global temperatures and frequent air quality concerns since June, health and climate justice experts say climate change will continue to impact Michigan residents.

According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, July broke multiple global surface air temperature records, reaching the highest temperature recorded on July 6, at 17.08 degrees Celsius, about 64.74 degrees Fahrenheit.

While Michiganders have faced hazardous air quality conditions from wildfires in Canada, the state experienced its own rash of fires due to unprecedented hot and dry conditions in June.

While wildfires are most common in April and May, the drought led to fire conditions unlike what we normally see in June, said Paul Rogers, a wildland fire prevention specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“Normally, we see those type of fire conditions in August,” Rogers said.

Michigan typically sees significant fire conditions every 10 years or so, while the number of wildfires in the state have been declining over the past 20 years, Rogers said.

“Whether this was an anomaly or something else, we really don’t draw conclusions,” Rogers said.

Looking to the future, there are concerns about high-fire danger due to changing weather conditions from climate change, said Christopher Hoving, an adaptation specialist in the DNR’s wildlife division.

“Fire is so dependent on weather,” Hoving said. “In some ways, it’s almost a weather phenomenon, other than the fact that you have to have a spark To start it.”

From what a fire does, to how big it gets, how fast it grows and where it travels, these factors are all influenced by the weather, Hoving said. However, this also makes modeling those conditions difficult.

The amount of time since last precipitation, temperature, wind and humidity are all factors that determine fire danger. However, wind is difficult to model, because of its local nature, Hoving said.

Additionally, Michigan is situated in a part of the country where climate models are unsure about precipitation patterns, Hoving said.

“It’s hard to say what the future is going to bring. But because we do expect temperatures to be higher, that element of it will probably increase fire danger,” Hoving said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2021 predicted that as heatwaves and droughts become more frequent, the dry, hot and windy conditions that lead to wildfires would become more likely in some regions, particularly regions experiencing higher levels of warming.

In 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Michigan could face “unprecedented warming” including higher spring temperatures, an increase of extreme precipitation in the spring and winter, more intense droughts, and concerns related to water levels in the Great Lakes.

While Michigan has been called a “climate haven” and could weather the more destructive effects of climate change, some experts have pushed back on the idea of Michigan serving as a refuge from changing climate impacts.

“I’ve heard this idea of a climate haven for many years now and I always disagree with it,” said Juan Jhong-Chung, climate justice director for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.

“A lot of the disparities people are already facing are just going to be exacerbated by climate change. … It’s a climate heaven for those that can afford it,” they said.

When looking at climate effects like the 2021 flooding in Detroit, caused by extreme rainfall, Jhong-Chung noted that the communities who bear the brunt of those effects are typically Black and Brown communities alongside low-income communities.

They also listed Michigan farmers as another vulnerable group, with changes in seasonal temperatures potentially disrupting their crops.

Additionally, in highly populated cities like Detroit, high temperatures and high humidity paired with high concentrations of pavement and buildings can create dangerous conditions, known as the urban heat island effect.

Communities that face industrial pollution also face significant climate impacts, due to the lack of green space and tree coverage to reduce heat from the urban heat island effect, Jhong-Chung said.

The individuals who are least affected are going to be the individuals who can afford air conditioning, or can afford to own property or rent in places with access to green spaces and clean bodies of water where they can cool down, Jhong-Chung said.

Additionally, Sue Anne Bell, an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Michigan, said that effects on poor air quality from pollution are multiplied by factors like wildfire smoke, adding additional layers to factors that make an area unhealthy.

“If there’s poor air quality from you know, whatever it is, whether it’s a coal plant or some other pollutant, then that’s going to affect your health,” Bell said. “That evidence is kind of well-documented.”

Poor air quality days like those caused by smoke from wildfires is dangerous for people with pre-existing conditions like asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, Bell said, but these conditions can also take away from quality of life and negatively impact mental health.

Alongside pointing out inequities in communities impacted by pollution, Jhong-Chung also raised concerns on how Michigan’s built infrastructure is impacted by climate, citing ice storms in February and March which left hundreds of thousands of residents without power.

If our infrastructure is not ready as the state sees more extreme weather from climate change, it will cause issues and impact people who are already vulnerable due to other social conditions, Jhong-Chung said.

Bell also shared concerns about the state’s readiness to stave off climate effects.

“We don’t have the kind of infrastructure that we need to support people who are going to be most affected by these events,” Bell said.

“Public schools in Ann Arbor, where I am, are just starting to get air conditioning because there haven’t been the kind of temperatures that, you know, make it really as necessary as it is now. And there’s plenty of businesses, homes, other schools that haven’t been designed for the climate control that’s needed to address extreme heat.” Bell said.

When looking at how people can stay healthy while facing negative climate impacts, Bell offered an individual and a community perspective.

A lot of the disparities people are already facing are just going to be exacerbated by climate change. … It's a climate heaven for those that can afford it.

– Juan Jhong-Chung, climate justice director for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition

“When there’s unhealthy air quality levels, you can stay inside. Have a [high efficiency particulate air] filter, keep your air conditioning running,” Bell said.

Additionally, basic steps like eating healthy, exercising and taking care of your mental health can help individuals stay healthy in the face of advancing climate impacts, Bell said.

“It’s almost like if you know you have a big sporting event coming up, like a race or something, that you’re going to train for it to be as healthy as you can for those events,” Bell said.

“Living a healthy lifestyle is a big part of being able to be resilient to some of those things that test our health,” Bell said.

From a community perspective, Bell recommended volunteering at a cooling center, being involved in climate activism, checking in on neighbors during heat emergencies and voting for candidates and policies that promote health in their communities.

Jhong-Chung also offered potential solutions for lessening the impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, encouraging a race and class-conscious approach to planning cities and communities.

“Looking at increasing green space in Detroit, in a way that doesn’t also displace communities. … Those type of projects could be helpful, if and only if there are guardrails, so that rents and property values don’t go up, or that there are ways to ensure that folks can stay in their communities and not get displaced,” Jhong-Chung said.

As climate change hits Michigan harder, more residents pay the price

They also advocated for resilience hubs, or large buildings where people can go to get warm or stay cool if their electricity is disrupted.

Jhong-Chung also said they would like to see Michigan make use of the federal government’s climate and economic justice screening tool, which assesses which communities will be most affected by climate change, and prioritize resilience projects in heavily impacted communities.

When thinking of solutions, Jhong-Chung also encouraged looking beyond Michigan.

“Just like the climate system is connected, I think a lot of other ecological and social systems are also interconnected. And when we try to think about solutions to those problems, we need to think about it more broadly than just, like, thinking of the state of Michigan,” they said.

“Climate change does not care about political boundaries. … Our climate system is not going to be stopped by the border. It doesn’t differentiate between Canada and Michigan if there are wildfires in Canada, and the wind blows through the Midwest region.”

And, in fact, CNN reported that Canadian officials on July 29 issued an evacuation order for residents of Osoyoos, British Columbia, after a wildfire in northern Washington state exploded in size due to warm, dry, breezy conditions and crossed the Canadian border.

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by Kyle Davidson, Michigan Advance August 5, 2023

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Kyle Davidson covers state government alongside health care, business and the environment. A graduate of Michigan State University, Kyle studied journalism and political science. He previously covered community events, breaking news, state policy and the environment for outlets including the Lansing State Journal, the Detroit Free Press and Capital News Service.