Energy Service Security for Public Health Resilience: Perception and Concerns in Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Date
2024-10-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Rural Sociology
Abstract
The Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan includes six rural counties and one Tribal Nation. The region is characterized by long winters, legacies of the extractive mining economy, and the infrastructural features of extreme rurality, including aging housing and low health service density. The region also faces exceptionally high electricity prices. There is limited research on the public health implications of energy service disruption in rural regions resulting from the increasing intensity and frequency of weather events caused by climate change. This article presents research findings examining the readiness of health facilities in this area to manage the rising intensity, severity, and frequency of severe weather that could disrupt energy services. The study also considers how this knowledge can guide decision-making to improve energy service access and maintain resilient public health services in the region. This exploratory study utilized a qualitative approach that combines semi-structured interviews with public health stakeholders and a short survey to triangulate the findings from health facilities. Given the pivotal role of dependable energy services in community health, these findings underscore the community's perception of self-reliance as both an asset and a hurdle. This perception aligns with the realities of rural communities at the “end of the line” regarding critical infrastructure, which also serves as a formidable barrier to social organization and infrastructure access during energy service disruptions that can severely impact public health.
Practitioner Points
1. People living in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan perceive themselves as self-reliant, which can hinder socially organized responses to disasters.
2. Energy access is a key component for providing public health services, and the perception of self-reliance may limit proactive planning for infrastructure access to support public health needs during a disruption.
3. Focusing on energy services in rural communities is critical to developing resilience.
Description
This article was originally published in Rural Sociology. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12571.
© 2024 The Author(s). Rural Sociology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Rural Sociological Society (RSS).
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords
affordable and clean energy, good health and well-being, climate action
Citation
Tiwari, S., Ketola, Z., Schelly, C. and Boyer-Cole, E. (2024), Energy Service Security for Public Health Resilience: Perception and Concerns in Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan☆. Rural Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12571