Due to a lack of government oversight, toxic chemicals have become much more prevalent in our daily lives. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair talks to EMU professor and Ann Arbor nutritionist Cindy Klement about ways to manage these toxins before any serious damage can be done.

There's been some severe winter weather over the past few weeks, thanks to the polar vortex. Is this just a typical weather pattern, or another sign of climate change. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair looks into this phemonenon with Dr. Richard Rood, professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan.

The federal government released its National Climate Assessment in November of 2018, and it has revealed some very troubling facts about the state of climate change. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," Kris Olsson from the Ann Arbor chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby shares her thoughts on the report and some possible solutions with WEMU's Patrick Campion.

Salmonella, E. Coli, and other pathogens have been more prevalent in food lately, thus leading to an unusually high number of food recalls. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair speaks to Kristen Schweighoefer, environmental health director for the Washtenaw County Health Department, about why such recalls have increased and what we can do to avoid food-borne illnesses.

This year's North American International Auto Show is underway in Detroit. Once again, the world's top automakers believe the future lies in electric and automated vehicles. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair explores what impacts these vehicles may have with Charles Griffith, who directs the Climate and Energy Program at the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor.

Protecting Michigan's drinking water has becoming even more of a priority in the past year. However, during the Michigan Legislature's lame-duck session, former Governor Rick Snyder signed into law a measure making protection more difficult. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair talks about this legislation, and its impacts, with Bonnifer Ballard, executive director of the American Water Works Association's Michigan section.

Detectable levels of PFAS and PFOS chemicals are in the Ann Arbor municipal drinking water. Progress was made in 2018, and more is expected in the new year. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair discusses next steps with Brian Steglitz, manager of the City of Ann Arbor's Water Treatment Services unit.

2019 has officially begun, and it's time to make some resolutions on how to handle dangerous chemicals, like PFAS. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair talks to Gillian Miller, senior scientist at healthystuff.org, about some tips to make 2019 a more ecologically friendly year.

Another holiday season has come and gone, which means vacations, New Year's resolutions, and holiday waste. So, as the waste piles up, what are the most environmentally friendly means of disposal? In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair gets some trash-removing tips from Angela Porta, who is the outreach and zero waste coordinator for Recycle Ann Arbor.

Finding the right Christmas tree for your home is always a big part of the holiday season. But which type of tree is better for the environment--real or artificial? In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair tries to settle this debate with Michigan State University horticulture professor Dr. Bert Cregg.