As concern mounts over the impacts of climate change, many experts are calling for greater use of electricity as a substitute for fossil fuels. Powered by advancements in battery technology, the number of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on U.S. roads is increasing. And utilities are generating a growing share of their power from renewable […]
On Tuesday morning, impacted Los Angeles residents and their allies held a short rally outside California Governor Gavin Newsom’s house in Fair Oaks to mark the five-year anniversary of the horrendous gas blowout at SoCalGas’s Aliso Canyon Storage Facility in Los Angeles and to remind the governor of his promise to shut the facility down. By Dan Bacher […]
Today humans are exposed to thousands of man-made chemicals. Yet the effects on people’s health are still not fully understood. By Alexander Suvorov, University of Massachusetts Amherst The Conversation In 2020 the number of registered chemicals reached 167 million. Every day people are exposed to them through food, water, contaminated air, drugs, cosmetics and other […]
When you breathe in smoke from a wildfire, you’re probably inhaling more toxic chemicals than you realize. Pollution from power plants and vehicles, pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals in waste can all make their way into trees and plants. When those trees and plants burn, chemicals are released along with health-harming particulate matter in the smoke, […]
Governor Gavin Newsom last night vetoed AB 995, a bipartisan bill to reform the state’s top toxics regulator, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), and clean up toxic pollution in frontline communities throughout California. By Dan Bacher It was the last environmental justice priority bill on Newsom’s desk — and a coalition of environmental justice organizations were deeply disappointed with the veto. Sponsored by Assemblymember […]
The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) is thankful for Governor Tom Wolf’s veto of the ill designed HB 2025. HB 2025, if signed, would have stopped Pennsylvania from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and continued fossil fuel pollution’s threat to our children’s health. HB 2025 would have kept Pennsylvania in the dark with continued […]
People are more likely to use re-usable coffee cups if they see others doing it, or if cafe owners charge extra for throwaway coffee cups, our research has found. Sukhbir Sandhu, University of South Australia; Robert Crocker, University of South Australia, and Sumit Lodhia, University of South Australia The Conversation Our study also found people […]
Plastic pollution has been found in practically every environment on the planet, with especially severe effects on ocean life. Plastic waste harms marine life in many ways – most notably, when animals become entangled in it or consume it. Deceased post-hatchling loggerhead sea turtle next to plastic pieces found in its stomach and intestines. Gumbo […]
Gold is everywhere in modern life, from jewelry to electronics to smartphones. The global electronics industry alone uses 280 tons annually. And that demand keeps growing. But most people know little about the environmental impacts of gold mining. About 15% of world gold production is from artisanal and small-scale mining in over 70 countries throughout […]
Misconceptions about the ocean can lead people to the wrong conclusions about conservation, climate change, and marine life. There are quite a few widely accepted ideas about the ocean that are not accurate. Here are the facts behind some common ocean myths. How many do you know? By NOAA Garbage patches are floating islands […]
Hurricane Laura plowed through the heart of Louisiana’s oil and chemical industries as a powerful Category 4 storm, leaving a chlorine plant on fire and the potential for more hazardous damage in its wake. A chemical fire erupted at a manufacturing plant in Westlake, Louisiana, in the wake of #HurricaneLaura. Officials warned residents to stay […]
If I dare to give the coronavirus credit for anything, I would say it has made people more conscious of the air they breathe. A friend texted me this week after going for a jog in the foothills near Boise, Idaho, writing: “My lungs are burning … explain what’s happening!!!” Luke Montrose, Boise State University The […]
The US has some of the most lax restrictions in terms of pesticide safety regulations; in fact, several of the pesticides used in the US are banned in the EU…. By Emily Folk (Excerpted from a longer piece at Earth.org.) More pests is only one symptom of a changing climate that’s making many crops around […]
Through the southern reaches of Texas, communities are scattered across a flat landscape of dry brush lands, ranches and agricultural fields. This large rural region near the U.S.-Mexico border is known for its persistent poverty. Over 25% of the families here live in poverty, and many lack access to basic services like water, sewer and […]
Air pollution contributes to as many as 9 million premature deaths worldwide each year – twice as many as war, other violence, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Fine particulate matter air pollution is especially dangerous: Microscopic particles readily enter the lungs, bloodstream and brain, with health effects that include infant death, reduced life expectancy for […]