IN THE NEWS: Taubman faculty, alumna discuss national parks, climate havens in summer issue of Michigan Alum
Change and an uncertain future were key ideas in a recent sustainability-themed issue of Michigan Alum, which featured interviews with Taubman College faculty member Phil D’Anieri and alumna Beth Gibbons.
D’Anieri, Ph.D. U.R.P. ’07, is a teaching professor of urban and regional planning who researches the importance of national parks and sustainability. In a Q&A for the magazine’s “Office Hours” feature, D’Anieri talks about how the parks help preserve fragile ecosystems and the ways federal budget cuts would impact these efforts. He points out that, although ecosystems are always changing, national parks play a key role in preserving and guiding that change for the future.
“It’s not a question of a pristine nature versus a damaged one,” D’Anieri said. “It’s a question of what future we want to protect and create in these places.”
While national parks could face new threats with fewer protections in place, the state of Michigan is often labeled a future climate haven. Gibbons, M.U.R.P. ’12, is director of the Washtenaw County Resiliency Office, and was interviewed for the article “Climate Haven* (*Terms and Conditions Apply),” which looks at ways this label can be a misnomer that obfuscates ongoing sustainability efforts. For example, although Michigan isn’t experiencing sea level rise or extreme weather events, it still suffers from the by-products of wildfire smoke and has challenges with increased rainfall and water management.
Established in 2024, the Resiliency Office helps Washtenaw County mitigate and recover from challenges caused by climate change and economic shifts while preparing a sustainable future for current and potential residents who may be part of a climate migration.
“Adaptation work — when it’s done well — is not reduced to disaster mitigation,” Gibbons said. “It’s about long-term planning. It’s about what has happened, what will happen, and what are the impacts.”
Read the full interview with D’Anieri and the full article with Gibbons on Michigan Alum’s website.
