About the Issues

“The Detroit area suffers from unacceptably high levels of air pollution. Ozone, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and other pollutants plague many communities throughout the region, causing adverse health impacts, such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, cancers, and premature death. The City of Detroit is hit the hardest, where residents suffer health impacts at rates which far outpace the rest of the state. Detroit residents suffer from cancer at a rate of 624.1 cases per 100,000 people, which is far greater than the state average of 553.3 cases per 100,000 people. Asthma rates in Detroit are also extremely high when compared to the state average. Adults in Detroit suffer from asthma 50 percent more often than the average Michigan adult, while asthma hospitalization rates are three times that of the state average, and asthma-related deaths are twice as high as the state average,”

- Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition

In October 2018, the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change gave nations 12 years to make radical changes in society to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate disaster—essentially recommending a halt to fossil fuel production. This comes at a time when Detroit's economy is transitioning away from the automobile industry, and as its residents carry a heavy, disproportionate health burden resulting from the city's legacy of heavy industry and fossil fuel production.

Topics to explore may include:

Water

• How are Detroit’s ongoing water shutoffs impacting communities, and how are they responding?
• How are Detroit's low-income and marginalized communities impacted by polluted waterways and aging infrastructure?

Energy

• How do state and local energy policies impact low-income and marginalized communities?

Toxic Pollution

• How are communities in southwest Detroit and downriver impacted in terms of their mental and physical health by multiple, cumulative exposure to toxins over time?

Air Quality

• How are air pollution levels caused by the trucking industry near the Ambassador Bridge likely to change with the addition of a new bridge, and how will nearby communities be impacted?

Climate Change

• How are the marginalized and low-income communities in Detroit dealing with the disproportionate climate change-related burdens they face (heat, flooding, etc.)?
• How do public and private strategies to address climate change impact marginalized and low-income communities? Are strategies producing a sustainable economy and just transition for vulnerable populations?

About the Opportunity

This is a unique opportunity for print, radio, and video journalists to cover critical issues about the environment in low-income, Black, or immigrant communities, and receive funding to help cover transportation and other reporting expenses. This paid fellowship is open to staff reporters and editors, and to freelance journalists.

Fellows receive $1,000 each and have two months to produce a print, radio, or video piece on their chosen topic.

The deadline to apply has passed.