The Check-Up is a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative that connects the region’s changing climate and abundant water to human health.
The collaborative's five newsrooms — Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now, Michigan Public, and the Narwhal — are funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
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Hotter days make heat exhaustion a greater hazard for kids. Hotter days also can mean more ozone pollution and that leads to lung impairments. Unusual weather events, particularly storms that cause flooding, add stress to children's lives. -
Worsening air quality and warmer, stormier weather in the Great Lakes region caused by climate change are threatening human healthMichigan medical students are pushing for curriculum changes to address these health threatsAs a result, more medical schools are teaching future doctors about climate change -
This is the second half of a series on heat islands around the Great Lakes. Part one is on the human health cost. Part two is on the science behind combating the urban heat island effect, solutions to the complex problem, and the role the Great Lakes play. -
Despite being on the Great Lakes, the cities of Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Windsor, and Toronto have all been labeled urban heat islands. -
From mosquitoes to sewer overflows, the heat and moisture of a changing climate are creating new health threats in the Great Lakes region, prompting a call to educate residents and doctors about the risks. -
The pesticide DDT nearly wiped out North America’s bald eagles. Communities, scientists, and politicians worked hard to bring this symbolic bird back from the brink. -
People are unprepared for smoke from forest fires worsened by intense drought and heat.
