This op-ed first published in The ‘Gander. // Photo above by Markus Spiske.

In an op-ed, Nicholas Jansen, Michigander and Rural Clean Energy Organizer argues that investing in clean energy and infrastructure is essential for building a more resilient Michigan, protecting both our economy and environment for future generations.

Whenever the topic arises of modernizing our infrastructure and investing in clean energy projects to counteract and prepare for the climate crisis, a barrage of critics asks, “Who is going to pay for that?” However, that’s not the question we should be asking. Rather we should ask, “Can we afford not to act?” 

Michiganders are already paying out of pocket because of climate change. If we fail to invest in our communities to address the warming Earth, we all will be paying far more in the future and missing out on an opportunity to make a cleaner, wealthier, and more resilient Michigan. 

Today, much of Michigan’s high cost of climate change results from the increasing strength and unpredictability of natural disasters. According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environment Information, from 1980 to 2009, Michigan experienced 21 natural disasters that caused more than $1 billion in damages. Since 2010, the state has experienced 32 disasters causing more than $1 billion in damages (for accurate comparison, numbers are adjusted for inflation). That’s a 50% increase in billion-dollar natural disasters occurring in half the time. 

In addition to the cost of damage to our infrastructure, there’s also the health impacts from climate change. According to the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air Report, climate change causes air pollution to worsen. As the climate warms, we face higher levels of particulate matter from the burning of fossil fuels and wildfires. This is particularly a concern within Michigan’s two largest cities, Detroit and Grand Rapids: they rank 13th and 25th highest nationwide for annual particulate matter concentration. 

According to the State of the Air Report, “Particulate matter is a problem because these fine particulates are 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair and can travel deep into the lungs and bloodstream. This can lead to cardiopulmonary problems and premature mortality.” The costs accumulate from there. Medical bills increase. Labor output decreases. Students miss more school. The impacts put a real and proven financial strain on our families and communities as a whole. 

The impacts are especially true for low income communities and communities of color, which have endured the brunt of fossil fuel extraction and climate impacts for decades. For example, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Detroit, which has a predominately black population, has “higher cancer incidence and mortality rates than other areas of the state, especially for lung and bronchus, colorectal, and female breast cancer” because of the air pollution residents face.

It often gets lost in the climate conversation, which is so focused on carbon emissions, but a tremendously valuable outcome of a clean energy transition is vastly cleaner air for all of us, and the better lives and financial benefits that will result. 

We also see economic impacts of the climate crisis in our loss of culture and what it means to be “Pure Michigan.” This year, we had the warmest January on record in Michigan, which led to record low ice coverage on the Great Lakes, ski resorts struggling to stay open, canceled sled dog races, a “Stem Festival” at the Holland Tulip festival, and cherry growers suffering massive crop lost due to a too warm, too wet season. 

You can calculate the economic costs of each of these impacts but how do you measure the costs to residents that lose a key part of their identity? 

The benefits of a clean energy transition will also include the elimination of what has come to be known as “America’s most dangerous pipeline”—Line 5. The line is a major contributor to climate change because it pumps about 23 million gallons of crude oil a day for eventual combustion and carbon release. And as an aging and decrepit pipeline, Line 5’s potential rupture also presents an existential threat to the economy, ecosystem, and way of life in the Mackinac Straits and the broader Great Lakes. Clean up estimates for a Line 5 oil spill run to more than $6 billion—that’s an expense the people of Michigan won’t have to worry about when the nation no longer needs Line 5 crude oil, thanks to clean energy. 

When we ask, “who is going to pay for that,” we focus only on costs and not benefits, and we neglect the once-in-a-lifetime economic opportunity that tackling the climate crisis provides. Transitioning our economy to a local, clean economy is already creating tens of thousands of good paying jobs that benefit workers and communities right here in Michigan. We have a rich and proud manufacturing history that spans from putting the world on wheels to leading in new emerging technologies. If we continue to embrace the clean energy transition, Michigan can be the engine of this transition, leading the world on new clean energy technology. 

Record clean-energy investment is making that vision real. A new report from Climate Power says, “Bolstered by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Michigan is No. 1 in the nation for IRA projects, which have resulted in more than $25 billion in new investments across the state.” In turn, this has led to “clean energy businesses in Michigan adding more than 5,400 workers in 2022, now employing 123,983 Michiganders. The state now leads the Midwest region in the number of clean energy workers.” This injection of federal money also helps to bring in more investment to our communities from private sectors, “for every $1 the government spends on clean energy, $5 to $6 is spent by companies and businesses.” 

Those numbers represent only clean energy jobs. If we continue to shift our entire economy to be based on clean energy, that will also create thousands of new jobs for the trades as we update our housing and other infrastructure, benefiting families and communities all over Michigan.

The economic impacts don’t stop at job creation, as clean energy development also provides income and taxes to individuals and communities. In Michigan, utility scale solar and wind projects are leasing land from farmers so they can make ends meet. Tax revenue from solar and wind installations enable communities to invest in schools, fire departments, and other services. It helps families keep more money in their pockets with lower monthly electric bills while they take advantage of federal tax credits for investing in clean energy. 

So, not only is the clean energy transition slowing the pace of climate change, but it’s also helping everyday Michiganders and communities from every corner of the state have more money in their pockets and budgets. 

This transformative moment offers an opportunity to allow future generations to enjoy Michigan as so many of us have been able to do while growing up here. I want to have kids that excitedly wait to see if school is canceled for a snow day so they can go sledding. I want to take my children to kayak and fish around the Straits without wondering if the fish are safe to eat and if the water is clean enough to swim in. I want my neighbors with farms that have been in their families for generations to be able to keep them in the family by harvesting wind and solar. I want our future generations to know how lucky we are to be stewards of 21% of the world’s surface freshwater. So for me, a lifelong Michigander, the question isn’t, “who is going to pay for that?” but rather, “can we afford not to?” 

We can make a difference if we continue to invest in our futures. We’ve seen that communities with local, clean energy grids are more resilient to natural disasters, are healthier, and have more affordable energy bills. If we continue to adopt more local, clean energy here in Michigan, we can lessen the costs of natural disasters, improve the health of our communities, and put us on a path for a thriving tomorrow.

Nicholas Jansen, Groundwork Rural Clean Energy Organizer
nicholas.jansen@groundworkcenter.org