Happy Earth Day! 🌏 Here are this morning’s top stories:
3 biggest things Michigan can do to battle climate change
It can be hard to fathom the change needed to take on climate change on a global scale. The truth is, we can only control so much. It takes a global team effort.
Starting in Michigan, there are actions that must be taken by our government -- but there are also ways we can each get involved ourselves.
How to recycle properly in Michigan
Not everyone knows how to recycle the right way and so, unfortunately, a significant portion of recycled items don’t even end up getting recycled at all.
Data shows that, depending on the community, about 20-40 percent of recycled items received by sorting facilities can’t actually be recycled. Some items received by sorting facilities are ridiculous -- like bowling balls -- but most items that aren’t recyclable are sent by people with good intentions who just don’t know better.
At ‘moment of peril,’ Biden opens global summit on climate
Declaring that the U.S. and other big economies must “get this done,” President Joe Biden opened a global climate summit Thursday aimed at getting world leaders to dig deeper on emissions cuts. The United States pledged to cut in half the amount of climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes it is pumping out by 2030.
“Meeting this moment is about more than preserving our planet,” Biden said, speaking from a TV-style set for a virtual summit of 40 world leaders. “It’s about providing a better future for all of us,” he said, calling it “a moment of peril but a moment of opportunity.”
What Michigan’s future could look like without action on climate change
Climate change is happening now -- and much of it is already baked in for the coming decades.
If climate change isn’t stopped soon, the impacts of the change will become much worse in Michigan. Heatwaves and air pollution will become more deadly, and the likelihood of an increasing number of infectious diseases spreading in the state will also increase dramatically.
Weather: Bright but cold start in the 20s
Looking for COVID-19 vaccines in Metro Detroit: Track openings, clinics, appointments
Coronavirus in Michigan 💉
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 804,724 as of Wednesday, including 17,031 deaths, state officials report.
Wednesday’s update includes a total of 5,584 new cases and 45 additional deaths. On Tuesday, the state reported 799,140 total cases and 16,986 deaths.
Testing has been steady around 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate above 13% as of Wednesday, lower than one week ago. Hospitalizations have increased over the last several weeks, now at the highest point of the pandemic.
Michigan continues to lead the nation in new COVID-19 cases. The state’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 5,744 on Wednesday -- the highest since December, but lower than two weeks ago. The 7-day death average was 56 on Wednesday, slightly higher than the last two weeks. The state’s fatality rate is 2.1%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 184,700 on Wednesday.
More than 603,000 have recovered from the virus in Michigan.
Michigan has reported more than 6.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Friday, with 46.1% of residents having received at least one dose.
Here’s a look at more of the data: