You asked about climate questions and climate solutions. We've got answers.

Indiana Public Broadcasting News and its partner stations are gathering your questions on climate change and climate solutions. Share your questions on the topic, especially as it relates to our state through text or the question box at the bottom of this page. We will be answering some of the questions we receive throughout the year. 

Here are some questions we have received and answered. We will continue to update this page as we dig into more questions we receive.

From a person in Newburgh:

Why do some people think that climate change isn't happening?

Students gather with signs on the steps outside of the Indiana Statehouse. The only poster not cut off by the crop says, I'll stop skipping school when you stop skipping the Climate Pact.

FILE PHOTO: Steve Burns/WTIU

Nathaniel Geiger is an assistant professor at Indiana University and researches climate engagement.

He said it's important to know the majority of Hoosiers believe in climate change. Only about 20 to 25 percent think climate change isn't happening at all or are just unsure.

Geiger said some people reject scientific findings that they can’t see for themselves. People who believe the Earth is flat, for example, usually don't have the opportunity to go into space and view the Earth itself.

"Similarly, climate change is complex enough — the phenomenon is complex enough that when we experience warmer or cooler temperatures, it's hard to know what to make of those," Geiger said.

From a person in Evansville: 

Does recycling plastic help with climate change?

The answer is yes — if you’re doing it right.

Just about anything you buy new takes materials, energy and fuel to make, build and ship — which leads to more greenhouse gas emissions. Plastic is no different.

Allyson Mitchell is the executive director of Circular Indiana. She said reducing, reusing and recycling means less new plastic needs to be made from fossil fuels — and that’s good for the climate.

“So anytime you can use — extend the life of a material and a product, whether that's through reuse or recycling, you are going to have a positive impact or a reduction in the total impacts,” Mitchell said.

But that’s only if you recycle correctly.

“Only plastic one and two in the form of a bottle and jug is recyclable,” Mitchell said.

From a person in Zionsville: 

I'm curious to know – is there any future investment in nuclear energy being considered? It’s statistically far safer than current methods. Even the potential hazards fall nowhere near the contamination of fossil fuels and are typically more reliable and efficient than solar and hydroelectric power.

The answer:
Yes, Indiana is looking into bringing in what are called "small modular nuclear reactors" into the state. In fact, Gov. Eric Holcomb recently signed a new law on this technology.

From a person in Elkhart: 

What energy, environment bills are on their way to becoming law?

A man stands at a podium at the Indiana Statehouse, next to a display stand with a thick poster.

Courtesy of the Hoosier Environmental Council

Zach Schalk of Solar United Neighbors speaks at the 2022 Renewable Energy Day at the Indiana Statehouse. One of the bills the group supported — which allows homeowners with HOAs better access to rooftop solar — became a law.

There were several bills proposed this year's legislative session that had to do with energy and the environment in Indiana. Here's a run-down of which bills passed and failed during this year's legislative session.

It covers nearly a dozen bills that have now been signed into law and 10 bills that died during the legislative session. 

From a person in Fishers: 

We just installed rooftop solar on our home at the end of last year. Net metering and tax incentives were a big part of making that feasible. I’ve contacted my state legislators about the threats to these vehicles toward cleaner energy. I want to know why isn't the legislature encouraging Hoosiers to invest in cleaner energy? Particularly when the air quality in Indiana is so bad already!


With so much support, who wants to phase out rooftop solar incentives? Answer: Indiana utilities

Indiana utilities have more influence on politics in the state than you might imagine. Net metering is a good example.

It's the credits people with solar panels on their roof get for delivering extra energy back to the grid. A lot of people like it. It makes solar more affordable. But those credits are getting phased down this year. The fact that utilities don't like it could be the reason.

But rooftop solar is something a lot of people support. Environmentalists like it. It gives rural residents energy independence. It helps businesses meet their climate goals. It creates jobs. It’s also slowly become something both Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

The law to phase out higher net metering rates passed in 2017. Since then, lawmakers have proposed at least seven bills to overturn or change it. Half of them got bipartisan support.

From a person in Elkhart:

Are there more trees in Indiana than there were a decade ago?

An snapshot of an Indiana forest. In the foreground, a tree with shelves of small mushrooms crawl up the bark. Deeper into the forest, fallen leaves cover the ground with some older and younger trees stretching up.

Devan Ridgway/WTIU

Not much has changed in the past decade — but the answer is still a little surprising. According to the U.S. Forest Service, from 2006 to 2019 the number of forest acres in Indiana went up slightly by 2 percent. But the number of individual trees went down by 6 percent.

John Seifert directs the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ division of forestry. He said the reason is that Indiana’s forests are aging.

“And as trees get bigger, they shade out other trees, it's just sort of the survival of the strongest, so to speak," Seifert said.

From a person in Muncie:

Can we address climate change without addressing consumerism?

A phone with a cracked screen rests on a wooden deck. The photographer would like you to know this is the first screen she's cracked since 2006.

Lauren Chapman/IPB News

It’s no secret that the less stuff you buy, the less energy and materials are needed to make that new product — and that’s good for the climate. There are other kinds of consumption too — like how much electricity we use in our homes or how much gas we use to fuel our cars.

Amrou Awaysheh is the executive director of the Indiana University Business Sustainability and Innovation Lab. He said many businesses have set aggressive goals to lower their carbon emissions and more companies are making consumers aware of what they're doing for the climate.

That means consumers can make a positive impact by "voting with their dollars."

"If they choose to buy products and goods from a company that doesn't care about the environment, or doesn't care where the raw materials are extracted from — then that's on them," Awaysheh said.

 

What do I do if there are PFAS in my water?

A kitchen sink in an apartment runs water from the faucet. The photographer and the person writing this alt text regrets she did not more thoroughly clean her kitchen before using this image in multiple news stories.

Lauren Chapman/IPB News

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is testing public drinking water utilities for PFAS.

PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals found in all kinds of non-stick and stain-resistant products — from pans, to carpets to fast-food wrappers.

Among other things, exposure to them has been linked to kidney cancer, problems with the immune system and developmental issues in children.

So far, IDEM has found unhealthy levels of PFAS in 19 drinking water utilities — 10 midsize utilities and nine small water utilities. Some listeners who get their water from these utilities wanted to know how they can protect themselves and their families.

From a person in New Castle:

I as a general citizen sometimes feels helpless to fight climate change. I try to make eco-friendly choices, but is it enough? We need massive change on a wide scale to save our planet, and I don’t know when that will happen. On a local note I’d like to see door to door recycling but it was voted down in my community.


Therapy aims to tackle climate distress, but there may not be enough in Indiana

Indiana's only known climate-aware therapist, Veronica Needler, at her office in Carmel. Needler is smiling. In the background you can see a chair, a plant, and a lamp with soft lighting. There is also a window that looks out to a pine tree.

Alan Mbathi/IPB News

There’s only so much time for countries around the world to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Here in Indiana, we’re already seeing things like more extreme heatflooding and severe storms.

The problem is so big that it can make people feel helpless trying to fight it on their own.

A new type of therapy aims to help people turn their fears into action. It’s called climate-aware therapy — and it’s so new that there’s only one person we know of who offers it in Indiana.

Question:

I would like to know more about how local communities are acting, planning to act, or not acting on adaptation to increasing heat and flooding.

The answer:
The cities of Clarksville and Richmond are working on heat management plans. Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute also keeps a list of all kinds of climate adaptation strategies that cities are working on in the Midwest here — including cities in Indiana.

From a person in Point Idalawn: 

Why are we not taking stranded assets into consideration when talking about the transition to renewable energy?

The answer:
Arguably Indiana lawmakers are taking that into consideration. Through the pilot program, created in a 2021 bill, CenterPoint is the only utility allowed to securitize its assets and only for its A.B. Brown coal plant.

From a person in Zionsville:

Why does Indiana impose a fee on electric car owners?

An electric vehicle charging station. A green pillar in a parking garage has a sign that reads Electric Vehicles Only with lights illuminated behind it.

Pixabay

Indiana will have a lot more places for electric vehicles to charge up in the coming years — both from federal efforts like the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program and the state's settlement with Volkswagen. Advocates hope this will encourage more Hoosiers to buy electric cars.

But if that's the goal, then why does Indiana impose a special fee on electric car owners?

The answer has to do with the way Indiana funds its roads — mainly through gasoline taxes. Because electric vehicles don’t use gas, Indiana imposes an annual registration fee on electric car owners. Starting in July, that fee will be more than $200.

From people in Kokomo and Indianapolis:

How did Indiana come up with the fee to register electric vehicles?

Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie), who helped set the fee in this past legislative session, explains the formula works like this:

Lawmakers looked at the average miles driven per year nationally divided by the average miles per gallon for a car built in 2022. Then, they multiplied that number by about 43 cents — the total excise and sales tax on gasoline in 2020.

That comes to roughly $214 — the registration fee electric vehicle owners have to pay every year. EV owners don’t have to pay federal gas taxes.

“The road has no idea who's driving on. It doesn't really care. It just knows that it needs to be repaired, maintained, and that that has to come from somewhere," Pressel said.

 

How do I protect myself from wildfire smoke?

Smoke from wildfires in Canada covered Fort Wayne and many other areas of the state in a haze in late June. Those fires continue to affect the air quality in Indiana.

Tony Sandleben/WBOI

Smoke from wildfires in Canada covered Fort Wayne and many other areas of the state in late June. Those fires continue to affect the air quality in Indiana.

Many experts say it's best to stay inside if possible and wear an approved N95 mask if you have to be outside. However, poor air can still seep into homes and businesses.

Sarah Commodore is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Indiana University’s School of Public Health.

“However way you can keep your home closed off to the outside world for now, until the smoke goes down or until the smoke goes away — you want to do that," she said.

That means shutting windows and doors, and not running things like exhaust fans — which can bring in air from outside. Commodore said the same idea can be applied to your car — so you should close windows and recirculate the air.

From a person in Indianapolis: 

Can you share information on urban rewilding?


Earth-friendly native plants aren't always a welcome sight – some cities, HOAs aim to change that

Native plants aren’t just good for birds and bees. They also make the land more resilient to the effects of climate change and can even help prevent it. But cities and homeowner’s associations don’t always like the way they look — putting them at odds with residents who want to grow native plants in their yards.

Some cities and HOAs in Indiana are working with these homeowners to encourage these plants.

Bloomington changed its ordinance to define a weed as an invasive plant — a plant that can spread out of control and prevent other plants from growing. And homeowners in Bloomington can plant almost anything they want in their yards as long as it’s not invasive and doesn’t block traffic sight lines or sidewalks.

Indianapolis encourages residents to plant natives — but it does it a little differently. You can get your native plant garden certified by the city through its Native Planting Area Program to make sure you don’t get fined.

St. Joseph County updated its ordinance to specify that things like native plant gardens, rain gardens, food crops, buffer strips and wetland vegetation aren’t to be considered weeds.

Aside from government ordinances and programs, anyone in the state can apply for a certification through the Indiana Native Plant Society and purchase a sign.

But even if your local government allows it, your homeowner’s association might not.

You can always join the conversation by signing up for the Indiana Two-Way. You'll receive a text to your phone every Thursday morning, with questions related to statewide topics and news updates to keep you informed. 

Your answers will help guide our future reporting to make sure we are answering questions you and others around the state have. To join, text the word "Indiana" to 765-275-1120.