For Friday, June 30, 2023

…audio…

1 – Don’t forget about your pets when it comes to recent air quality alerts triggered by Canadian wildfires.

An alert was issued this week because of elevated levels of fine particulate matter due to drifting smoke.

The State Veterinarian’s Office says that just like us, animals are affected by poor air quality. That applies especially to birds, animals with underlying respiratory and heart conditions, and young or senior animals.

If animals are negatively affected, they could exhibit signs of illness including coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.

For any concerns related to the health of your animals, contact your veterinarian. 

To best protect animals from poor quality air:

• Keep animals indoors with doors and windows closed and limit the amount of time they spend outdoors 
• Have them avoid strenuous activities and exercise and
• Ensure a clean indoor air flow by using fans, air conditioners and air purifiers.

…

2 – States will have to dramatically step up their efforts to enable a full transition to electric vehicles. 

So says a 2023 Scorecard from the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy that evaluates state policies to encourage electric vehicle adoption. Only nine states scored more than half the points available.

California ranked first, with 88 out of 100 points. New York came in second with 62 points.  

Michigan came in at 26th place, with 23.5 points out of 100. But the report’s lead author says that’s a significant increase compared to the last assessment in 2021, when Michigan ranked three spots lower at 29th. 

The council notes that Michigan is one of six states to mandate an all-electric or zero-emission transit bus fleet. Michigan also has plans to operate a zero-emission light-duty vehicle fleet by 2035, and a zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleet by 2045, among other measures. 

…

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard Fridays at 9:30 a.m. in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

-30-