Earlier this year, the intensification of the Canadian Wildfires in June had everyone in Detroit – and the Midwest – talking about air quality. These record-setting fires became the most significant and widespread wildfire event in Canadian history, impacting all 13 provinces in the country.
The wildfires emitted smoke that spread to the United States and even Europe. Experts attribute this phenomenon to climate change, which has resulted in forecasts of warmer and drier seasons, creating more favorable conditions for wildfires.
When the smoke from the Canadian Wildfires reached Detroit, news reports and the city’s health department issued poor air quality alerts, particularly designating it as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Throughout the month of June, Detroit consistently ranked in the top 10 and even the top five on IQAir’s list of the 100 places with the worst air quality on multiple occasions. Today, that same list has Detroit ranked as 94th on the list, showing drastic improvements since summer, but that has more to do with the wildfires ceasing than it has to do with any significant technological advancements to make the air better for residents in the city.
The poor air quality resulted from fine particle pollution generated by the fires. These particles could penetrate deep into one’s lungs, leading to coughing and itchy eyes. Prolonged exposure could also result in long-term lung and heart problems.
These conditions necessitated children and older adults to limit their outdoor activities, prompting many Detroit residents to become increasingly concerned about air quality and climate change, even if they hadn’t been previously.
Experts have cautioned that people should prepare for wildfire smoke during the summer due to the effects of climate change.
The city of Detroit is currently taking steps to address climate change with a prioritized strategy:
- Making energy and water bills more affordable.
- Improving access to reliable transportation.
- Making parks and green spaces more accessible to everyone.
- Enhancing air quality and reducing asthma.
- Building resilience into people’s daily lives to minimize climate impacts, such as flooding, heat waves, and extreme weather.
- Ensuring inclusive public engagement that integrates equity into both municipal and community climate action.
This initiative is known as the Detroit Climate Strategy, which aims to implement these efforts in every neighborhood. City officials are striving to find an inclusive approach to address this issue for all Detroit residents. The pandemic highlighted how minorities are disproportionately impacted by both COVID and climate change, emphasizing the intersection of these crises.
The city of Detroit is currently developing a long-term Climate Strategy to lead mitigation efforts in the years ahead, incorporating feedback from Detroit residents and organizations. They are already reviewing feedback from over 6,000 respondents, which initially shaped Detroit’s first sustainability plan in 2019. Presently, the city has charted a path to reduce municipal emissions by 75% by 2034, in line with the city’s 2019 Greenhouse Gas Ordinance, as it seeks to act on climate change by meeting the needs of Detroit residents.
This multi-layered effort aims to reduce utility bills, improve air quality, promote greener neighborhoods, and create new job opportunities in the process.
“The Detroit Climate Strategy is ultimately about connecting climate action to the needs of Detroiters. Climate action is about utility and housing affordability, improving air quality and transportation options, making our parks more welcoming and accessible, and ensuring we are prepared for flooding and extreme weather,” city officials said in a statement.
The city of Detroit’s Office of Sustainability acknowledges the critical intersections between racial equity and environmental issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the connection between poor air quality and COVID-19-related fatalities.
The pandemic has also affected the local government’s ability to address extreme weather events while revealing a weakness in how city officials respond to them. Public opinion surveys consistently indicate that African Americans, on average, express greater concern about climate issues.
In Detroit, some neighborhoods experience more severe and frequent climate impacts, such as heat waves and flooding, than others. It is evident that resources to respond to these impacts are not evenly distributed, a problem city officials are striving to resolve as they intensify their efforts to address climate change inclusively.
City officials added: “We believe, therefore, that we must address climate issues holistically, keeping racial equity at their core, and addressing the intersections between climate and pandemics like COVID-19. That is why we are so excited to be launching, especially in this extremely challenging time, the Detroit Climate Strategy.”
About Post Author
