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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2023
EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to keynote 600-person MI Healthy Climate Conference this afternoon in Detroit
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will keynote the sold-out MI Healthy Climate Conference this afternoon in Detroit, focusing themes of protecting Michiganders from the most significant impacts of climate change while seizing the economic opportunities of a clean energy transition.
The two-day conference brings together nearly 600 stakeholders from across the state and nation to help implement key actions in the MI Healthy Climate Plan. The conference is organized by the State of Michigan through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The conference is at capacity, but Gov. Whitmer’s address and other key recordings will be available online afterward.
The conference starts at 1:00 p.m. today at Huntington Place in Detroit and runs through Wednesday afternoon. This is Michigan’s first statewide climate conference focused on meeting Gov. Whitmer’s climate commitments as laid out in the MI Healthy Climate Plan. The conference features presentations, workshops and remarks from state officials, business leaders, advocates, tribal nations, academia, organized labor and more.
Attendees will be welcomed this afternoon by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and hear from thought leaders and experts on how Michigan can seize the opportunity to create a healthier, more just and carbon-neutral Michigan.
Gov. Whitmer’s keynote is schedule to begin at 4:25 p.m.
Under Gov. Whitmer’s leadership, the MI Healthy Climate Plan is a blueprint for moving Michigan forward on greenhouse gas reductions and the forward-looking economic opportunities that can be created in communities across the state.
MI Healthy Climate Plan Background
Gov. Whitmer signed executive order 2020-182 and executive directive 2020-10 committing Michigan to achieving economy-wide carbon neutrality no later than 2050 with interim reductions of 28% by 2025 and 52% by 2030 to ensure steady progress and to maintain net negative greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) after 2050.
The governor charged EGLE and the Council on Climate Solutions with developing a plan to meet these goals. This work culminated in the MI Healthy Climate Plan. The plan positions Michigan as a climate action leader and focuses on actions to spur economic development and create good-paying jobs, lower energy and transportation costs for working families and businesses, work towards energy independence, mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, improve public health, and protect natural resources and wildlife.
Paired with federal support and emerging climate champions in the Michigan Legislature, Michigan is poised to pivot from planning to action. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) reinforces the urgency to act on climate and address what needs to be done to reduce intensifying risks.
The conference helps accelerate that pivot to action with deep-dive conversations, information sharing, and ample time for building new collaborations – all toward achieving the objectives of the MI Healthy Climate Plan laid out in the six priority actions of the Plan:
- Commit to environmental justice and pursue a just transition.
- Clean the electric grid.
- Electrify vehicles and increase public transit.
- Repair and decarbonize homes and businesses.
- Drive clean innovation in industry.
- Protect Michigan’s land and water.
For more information, go to https://egle.idloom.events/MI-Climate-Conference.
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