Clean Energy In the News

Pollutants linked to global warming rise 46% in Mich. over past five decades, nonprofit says.

Mark Hicks / The Detroit News

Levels of emissions that contribute to global warming have climbed more than 46 percent in Michigan over the past five decades, states an environmental research report released Tuesday.

About 189.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted in the state in 2001, the most recent year for which data was available, compared with 129.4 million metric tons in 1960, according to "The Carbon Boom," released by the Environment Michigan Research & Policy Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy and research group.

If trends persist, average temperatures could rise noticeably by 2011, possibly inducing widespread drought and intensified storms, said Mike Shriberg, director of Environment Michigan.

"We're talking about serious implications," he said. "The long-term effects of global warming are potentially catastrophic."

The report, which presented data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, also found that carbon dioxide emission levels nearly doubled nationwide in the same time period, from 2.9 billion metric tons in 1960 to about 5.7 billion metric tons in 2001.

Increased oil combustion from cars and light trucks statewide also accounted for about 31 percent of the uptick in carbon dioxide levels, researchers found.

The popularity of sport utility vehicles coupled with the number of miles driven on state roads having risen to more than 100 million miles, the study says, could further lift carbon dioxide levels and global warming.

Resulting warmer temperatures could inhibit a region renowned for its natural beauty and outdoor activities by decreasing annual rainfall, which could significantly lower lake levels, reduce crop yields and inhibit wildlife, said Kate Madigan, deputy policy director at the Michigan Environmental Council.

State lawmakers have been slow to initiate plans to promote "green" alternatives and newer technologies, she said. "Many states have taken initiatives but we still haven't taken a lot of important yet simple steps to curb global warming emissions."

Legislation such as the Safe Climate Act, proposed this week by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., could produce solutions through monitoring industrial carbon dioxide emissions and curbing coal-fired power plants, said Mike Garfield, director of the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor.

While a mass transit system would also reduce pollution levels, he said, state residents can help by using fuel-efficient cars and such renewable energy sources as wind, solar and geothermal.

As global warming spreads, citizens must also consider their role in a "global phenomenon" that alters both economies and ecosystems, Garfield said.

"Our contribution is part of the bigger picture," he said. "Michigan has a moral obligation to be part of the solution."