Cleaner cars and lower emissions across Michigan and the nation are the goals of an event by environmental groups. They are calling attention to an Environmental Protection Agency proposal, recommending ambitious new standards to help reduce vehicle emissions starting with model year 2027.

Advocates of tougher emissions rules took to America's highways for a relay across the country including a stop in Detroit. They call it the "Route Zero Relay," saying it is important to make electric vehicles more affordable to help clean up the air.

Cara Cook, director of programs for the Alliance of Nurses for a Healthy Environment, said it is going to take a lot more work to address climate change.

"It's really important that EPA sets the strongest long-term standards as possible," Cook asserted. "Because we really need to be reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are being emitted across a variety of sectors, but particularly the transportation sector."

According to Consumer Reports, stronger standards would save drivers $2,400 over the life of a new vehicle, and 70% of the benefits of those standards would be seen by drivers of pickup trucks and SUVs. Opponents have said they would increase the initial price tag.

Michigan groups agreed addressing tailpipe pollution will lead to public health benefits.

Elizabeth Hauptman, Michigan field consultant for the group Moms Clean Air Force, said state and local governments should also be doing their part to speed the transition to cleaner vehicles. She noted her family has firsthand experience with health concerns.

"Well, my son has asthma, and he is one of over 253,000 kids here in Michigan who suffer from this chronic illness," Hauptman pointed out. "The health impact from climate change is increased respiratory illness, so it is important for our families and their future that we protect them from these tailpipe emissions."

The American Lung Association said tailpipe pollution contains toxins compromising air quality and harming public health, including increasing people's risk of asthma, lung disease and cancer.


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Military veterans and lawmakers say investing in the clean-energy economy with Inflation Reduction Act funds is the way forward to combat climate change and bolster national security.

Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, attended the Elected Officials to Protect America's annual Climate Emergency and Energy Security Summit in Washington D.C. last week and said Illinois has a strong agricultural economy that is jeopardized by a number of environmental threats. Kifowit says she is honored to have participated in the summit where she was able to collaborate on strategies to address climate change and promote energy independence.

"What we are looking at here is reducing energy costs, good-paying jobs and small-business support. And in Illinois we are focusing on electric vehicles to make sure that we have the charging stations, the battery storage that we need and the partnership between the state and the functional federal government," she said.

Kifowit says in 2021, the state of Illinois passed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Act that strives to make Illinois a hub for electric vehicles and battery production. She says the state is also looking at what she calls "all types of renewable energy," including wind, solar and nuclear, to ensure a better tomorrow for future generations.

Alex Cornell du Houx, president and co-founder of Elected Officials to Protect America, is a also former Maine state representative and Marine combat veteran. He said people in the military realize that the climate crisis is what he considers a "threat multiplier," driving instability and increasing climate-fueled issues in the U.S. He said by leveraging IRA funds to invest in the clean-energy economy, he United States will be more self-reliant.

"We can get to 48% to 43% reduction in carbon pollution by 2030 with the Inflation Reduction Act as long as we implement it well. And the next 10% or so can be done through rulemaking, so ensuring clean-car standards and EPA standards. It's actually an extremely attainable goal that we can do this."

du Houx added it is vital to also make sure marginalized and disadvantaged communities, which are often disproportionately impacted by climate change, are informed about the federal investments available through the Justice40 Initiative.

Community groups across Maine are helping small towns with fewer resources better prepare for the growing threat of climate change.

They are conducting energy audits to help towns save money and implement renewable energy projects, including off-grid emergency shelters.

Scott Vlaun, executive director of the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy, said his group is working with the town of Norway to assess infrastructure potentially vulnerable to extreme weather events like the devastating floods last spring.

"This work will help us share what one town learned with other towns," Vlaun explained. "And help the towns get their own plans in place."

Vlaun pointed out stream crossings and road culverts are especially vulnerable to flood damage, resulting in costly repairs. He emphasized the goal is to create templates for climate resilience, which can be shared statewide.

Maine, like the rest of New England, is warming faster than the rest of the country while also experiencing a higher rate of extreme downpours.

Vlaun said building the climate resiliency of Maine's rural towns may seem like a small step but it is part of a growing nationwide movement to prepare for climate change, and the federal government's efforts to fund it.

"Our goal out here is, we have so many under-resourced communities in western Maine that we want to make sure that our communities get the fair share of these energy dollars and other climate resilience money that's coming," Vlaun outlined.

Vlaun added some of the funds should go toward repairing and reinforcing outdated electrical infrastructure in rural areas highly susceptible to power outages. The state is also kicking in funding to address those needs through its Community Resilience Partnership, which is part of the state's four-year climate plan.


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New research found natural disasters and pollution linked to climate change are contributing factors to high rates of anxiety and depression among young people.

Researchers from San Francisco-based Hopelab consulted experts and interviewed youth climate activists to determine how climate effects like wildfire, extreme heat, drought, flooding, and air pollution are affecting young people's mental health.

Emma Bruehlman-Senecal, research lead for Hopelab, is the author of the group's Climate Generation blog.

"We are focusing on climate change because Hopelab's mission is to support the mental well-being of young people, particularly those from communities that have been underinvested in," Bruehlman-Senecal explained. "It's clear that climate change is deeply impacting youth mental health, particularly the well-being of youth of color."

Hopelab's findings recommended more funding for youth-led activism but also to make mental health services more accessible by locating them in places where young people spend time, such as schools and community centers.

Another Bay Area nonprofit, YouthTruth, paired up with the Sonoma County Office of Education to survey students over the past eight years.

Jessica Progulske, YouthTruth lead for the county, said after 2017, when thousands of homes burned down in a series of wildfires, reports of depression and anxiety shot up.

"Some of the early research around resiliency indicates that the ability to do something about it, as a student, has the potential to offset some of the later health risks associated with childhood adversity," Progulske noted. "In spite of climate change and climate anxiety and dread that comes with it."

The Sonoma County Office of Education launched the

Environmental Justice Coalition, which partners groups of students with a mentor to work on local environmental issues.

Jimmy Simpson Jr., director of partnerships for YouthTruth, said the disruption of the wildfires, followed by COVID, took a toll early on.

"There was a definite correlation between students significantly impacted, relating to less positive perceptions around engagement in school," Simpson reported. "As well as their sense of belonging, and academics."

More recent surveys showed while the immediate effects of the firestorm have lessened, episodes of anxiety and depression continue to affect school performance.