U-M Sustainability Expert Perspectives

The ConversationU-M sustainability experts regularly contribute to The Conversation, a free and independent source of news and views from the academic and research community. This Blog has received international praise for promoting content from university scholars and researchers with deep expertise in their subject.

11/18/2024
Americans face an insurability crisis as climate change worsens disasters – a look at how insurance companies set rates and coverage
Andrew J. Hoffman, Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise, Ross School of Business, School for Environment & Sustainability, University of Michigan

Home insurance rates are rising in the United States, not only in Florida, which saw tens of billions of dollars in losses from hurricanes Helene and Milton, but across the country. Read More.

9/27/2024
Rising electricity demand could bring Three Mile Island and other prematurely shuttered nuclear plants back to life
Todd Allen, Professor of Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan

Constellation, an energy company that provides electricity and natural gas to customers in 16 states and Washington, announced on Sept. 20, 2024, that it plans to restore and restart Unit 1 at Three Mile Island, a nuclear plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania, that was shut down in 2019. Microsoft has signed a 20-year agreement to purchase electricity generated by the plant to offset power demand from its data centers in the mid-Atlantic region. Read More.

9/24/2024
Why home insurance rates are rising fast across the US – climate change plays a big role
Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor of Management & Organizations, Environment & Sustainability, and Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan

Millions of Americans have been watching with growing alarm as their homeowners insurance premiums rise and their coverage shrinks. Nationwide, premiums rose 34% between 2017 and 2023, and they continued to rise in 2024 across much of the country. Read More.

9/11/2024
Making fuels from plastics in Newaygo, Michigan, would be controversial – here’s why
Anne McNeil, Professor of Chemistry and Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan
Aleksandr V. Zhukhovitskiy, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Yutan Getzler, Pamela G. Hollie Professor of Chemistry, Kenyon College

Humans generate a lot of plastic waste – more than 400 million metric tons a year. Read More.

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