Michigan Braces for More Ozone Days Due to Climate Change

As Michigan welcomes the onset of its ozone season on March 1, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is gearing up to issue “Air Quality Advisories” to alert the public about potential harmful levels of pollution. This comes in the wake of a new report from the First Street Foundation, a non-profit research group, which highlights a concerning uptick in climate change-driven air pollution in the Great Lakes region, signaling more high ozone days ahead. While the gains in air quality post-Clean Air Act seem to be diminishing due to climate change and local factors, the predicted increase in the Great Lakes is notably less severe compared to the threats faced by the western states, which are grappling with extended wildfire seasons. According to Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications research at First Street Foundation, told Planet Detroit the disparity is significant, with areas like the Seattle and Portland metros potentially facing an additional two weeks of ozone and fine particulate matter pollution over the next 30 years, as opposed to Wayne County’s single additional day on top of its current ten days of poor air quality. The report delineates a “poor air quality day” as...