U-M Sustainability Expert Perspectives

The ConversationU-M sustainability experts regularly contribute to The Conversation, a free and independent source of news and views from the academic and research community. This Blog has received international praise for promoting content from university scholars and researchers with deep expertise in their subject.

2/25/2026
The cost of casting animals as heroes and villains in conservation science
Adam Meyer, PhD Candidate in Ecosystem Ecology, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Kristy Ferraro, Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan

Scientists are philosophers, explorers, data collectors and number crunchers. They are also storytellers, placing data within a broader scientific and societal context. How they tell these stories matters. Read More.

2/24/2026
Supreme Court’s Michigan pipeline case is about Native rights and fossil fuels, not just technical legal procedure
Mike Shriberg, Professor of Practice & Engagement, School for Environment & Sustainability; Director of the University of Michigan Water Center, University of Michigan

What began as a straightforward question from one water-quality advocate has morphed into a high-stakes battle over an oil pipeline at the highest levels of the U.S. government – with implications that go far beyond the fate of a technical legal conflict. Read More.

2/16/2026
Warming winters are disrupting the hidden world of fungi – the result can shift mountain grasslands to scrub
Stephanie Kivlin, Associate Professor of Ecology, University of Tennessee
Aimee Classen, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
Lara A. Souza, Associate Professor of Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma

When you look out across a snowy winter landscape, it might seem like nature is fast asleep. Yet, under the surface, tiny organisms are hard at work, consuming the previous year’s dead plant material and other organic matter. Read More.

12/10/2025
From FIFA to the LA Clippers, carbon offset scandals are exposing the gap between sports teams’ green promises and reality
Brian P. McCullough, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan
Edward Carrington, Assistant in Research in Sports Management, University of Michigan

If you go to a pro sports event today, there’s a good chance the stadium or arena will be powered at least in part by renewable energy. The team likely takes steps to reduce energy and waste. Some even claim to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, meaning any emissions they still do produce they offset by paying for projects, such as tree-planting, that reduce greenhouse gases elsewhere. Read More.

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