Climate change is a well-documented threat, with experts predicting that if it continues unchecked, it will contribute to ecosystem disruption, severe weather events, food insecurity, rising ocean levels and various other problems. Global leaders and individuals alike are looking at ways to contend with the issue but significant challenges remain.
The Michigan Daily explored the ways researchers at the University of Michigan are using their work to address climate change. While it is impossible to cover every lab working on the issue, The Daily chose to highlight four groups whose focuses range from nuclear energy to community-based projects. Read on to learn about how these researchers are using science to tackle climate change.
‘Connecting resources to a community’: A look inside the SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic
In June 2021, residents of the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood in Detroit faced devastating flooding and sewage overflows that caused significant property damage. The neighborhood has faced floods before, including one in 2014, but climate change is expected to continue to make flooding in Detroit more severe. Property damage due to flooding sparked a new partnership between local nonprofit Jefferson East Inc. and the newly established University of Michigan Detroit Sustainability Clinic in 2021.
The clinic was founded as part of the School for Environment and Sustainability and was kickstarted by a $1 million grant from the Kresge Foundation. In an email to The Michigan Daily, clinic director Tony Reames explained how the clinic works to connect University researchers, experts and resources to local projects in Detroit that aim to tackle climate-based issues in the city.
“The Detroit Sustainability Clinic is a solutions hub that provides capacity support and technical assistance to community-based organizations and local governments in the Detroit metropolitan area on issues related to sustainability and climate change, while centering equity and justice,” Reames wrote. “We aspire to be a conduit through which long-term, mutually beneficial community and University relationships are made.”
The clinic’s inaugural project was designed to investigate flooding in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood and propose solutions to the issue. Ultimately, the clinic proposed several steps for Jefferson East Inc. to address flooding including advocating for infrastructure investments and resiliency programs and utilizing sustainable design practices.
Read more about the SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic here.
U-M Su lab investigates electrification for a more sustainable world
As decades of fossil fuel use contribute to the Earth’s rising global temperature, scientists and engineers continue to innovate more sustainable ways to power society. The transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources creates a series of new problems for current electricity distribution systems. On the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus, the Su Lab is investigating solutions for the future of the power system.
Wencong Su, professor and department chair of electrical and computer engineering at U-M Dearborn, told The Michigan Daily that as the usage of electric vehicles increases, so too will the demand on power systems. The high demands of electricity for direct current fast charging and the ability of EVs to charge at multiple locations rather than consistently at the home makes it harder than most electric products to predict when and where power is needed.
“If you have five or 10 charging stations — especially DC fast charging stations — connecting to the same transformer can easily overload the transformer during the peak times,” Su said. “The car is moving around, so you have no idea when to charge and where to charge, so that creates another dimension of uncertainty to the power grid.”
Read more about the Su Lab here.
An inside look at how U-M NuRAM researchers are addressing climate change
As the body of research on climate change continues to grow, attention is increasingly focused on sustainable sources of energy. At the University’s Nuclear Reactor Analysis & Methods lab, researchers focus on one specific energy source: nuclear energy.
NuRAM is part of the larger Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences Department and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. NuRAM models nuclear reactors to research ways to heighten their efficiency.
Nuclear reactors control nuclear chain reactions, which create heat through nuclear fission. The released heat is then utilized to create steam, activating a steam turbine that creates electricity. Nuclear reactors do not directly produce carbon dioxide or emit air pollution.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Brendan Kochunas, assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences and principle investigator of NuRAM, explained the overarching research purpose of NuRAM and the Department of Energy’s interest in nuclear power research.
“What we focus on are advancing the computational methods of how we simulate and analyze nuclear reactor systems, specifically fission systems,” Kochunas said. “The projects we have are reflective of what the Department of Energy considers research priorities for the U.S.”
Read more about NuRAM here.
UMich leads the way on climate research in transboundary water regions
Transboundary waters present unique challenges in climate research and policy. The Global Center for Climate Change and Transboundary Waters, a multi-institutional organization housed at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, aims to study the hydroclimate of these regions while generating resilience among communities that rely on transboundary waters for resource needs.
Established in 2023, the GCTW focuses its research around three areas: hydro-climate modeling, ecosystem and water quality and climate-ready communities and transboundary governance. Through the intersection of these research clusters, the GCTW hopes to survey the current and future impacts of climate change and in turn create opportunities for better-informed policy and governance.
Andrew Gronewold, Environment and Sustainability professor who serves as the GCTW’s lead investigator, spoke to The Michigan Daily about the importance of the center as an internationally-oriented entity.
“We start off with the recognition that transboundary basins around the world often have multiple sovereign nations, not just two, but multiple sovereign nations within them, some might be Indigenous, that have a stake in the water and understanding the water as a resource,” Gronewold said.
Read more about The Global Center for Climate Change and Transboundary Waters here.
The Michigan Daily News staff can be reached atnews@michigandaily.com.
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