In a move similar to the one that plunged Ohio to the end of the line among U.S. states when it comes to moving toward renewable energy, Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott is signaling his plans to scale back or eliminate that country's Renewable Energy Target (RET).
Australia's booming renewable energy sector has some dirty energy companies lobbying the government to abandon the Renewable Energy Target. Photo credit: American Conservation Foundation
The Australian Financial Review reported on Monday in a story "Abbott's Plan to Axe RET" that Abbott has asked businessman Dick Warburton, whom Abbott charged following his election last fall with reviewing RET, to take a closer look at ending the target entirely rather than scaling it down as Warburton had proposed.
It wrote:
The federal government is moving towards abolishing the Renewable Energy Target rather than scaling it back in a move that will cost almost $11 billion in proposed investment and which is at odds with the views of its own environment minister.
Sources said environment minister Greg Hunt, who advocated scaling back the RET as a compromise, has been sidelined from the process and is understood to be unhappy. They said Mr. Abbott, treasurer Joe Hockey and finance minister Mathias Cormann are pushing the issue now. A government source said when the government announced its decision, possibly before the end of this month, it was now “more likely’’ the RET will be abolished under a so-called “closed to new entrants scenario’’ in which existing contracts only would be honoured.
Australia's renewable energy standards were first enacted in 2001, then expanded in 2010 to mandate a target of 20 percent of electricity coming from renewal sources. Although in 2012 74 percent of Australia's electricity came from coal, the growth of its renewables sector, especially wind generation, had it on track to far exceed RET.
Apparently, that's got some companies in the fossil fuel business worried. The Australian Financial Review said, "The Abbott government has been lobbied heavily by the business and energy sectors to abolish or water it down as renewable energy gained a larger than expected share of the electricity market."
And it's clear that some in the government are already not friends of renewables. The paper quotes treasurer Joe Hockey saying back in May, "I find those wind turbines around Lake George to be utterly offensive. I think they're a blight on the landscape."
A study, also released on Monday, commissioned by three Australian environmental groups The Climate Institute, Australian Conservation Foundation and WWF-Australia, suggested what's really behind the Abbott government's push to move out of renewables.
The study, "Big power company profits—the real outcome of an changes to the Renewable Energy Target," found that if the RET is eliminated, coal-fired power generation companies could increase their profits by as much as $25 billion between 2015 and 2030. It said that axing or watering down RET "would benefit owners of polluting coal plants at the expense of households and small business" and that energy prices for consumers would not only go down but could actually increase somewhat. Meanwhile, it said, jettisoning RET would add as much carbon pollution as four million new cars on the road and have additional pollution costs of over $14 billion.
Climate Institute CEO John Connor said:
This modelling highlights the cynical self-interest behind power companies’ calls to weaken the Renewable Energy Target. Companies like Origin and EnergyAustralia are pushing to weaken the target not, as they like to claim, because that would be good for customers, but because a weaker target is better for their bottom line. The RET is a bipartisan policy that is effectively reducing carbon pollution from the electricity sector and building our nation’s renewable energy industry. Both these objectives are vital—they help avoid dangerous climate change and sensibly position Australia’s economy to remain competitive in a world moving to clean energy sources.
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Trump introduces EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler during an event to announce changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Jan. 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. The changes would make it easier for federal agencies to approve infrastructure projects without considering climate change. Drew Angerer / Getty Images
A report scheduled for release later Tuesday by Congress' non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that the Trump administration undervalues the costs of the climate crisis in order to push deregulation and rollbacks of environmental protections, according to The New York Times.
<p>In one example, the administration estimated the cost of global heating for future generations seven times lower than previous federal estimates. By drastically lowering that number, which is known as the "social cost of the carbon," the administration could manipulate its cost-benefit analyses for deregulating carbon emissions, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/climate/trump-climate-change-carbon-cost.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p><p>Every ton of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere imposes a cost on the economy, since it increases the likelihood from damage to infrastructure from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise">sea level rise</a>, heat waves or storms. Or, it imposes a health care cost as increased pollution harms public health. However, calculating the cost of those effects is both politically contentious and economically challenging, according to The New York Times.</p>
<p>Under estimates from the Obama administration, the social cost of carbon would be approximately $82 per ton of carbon by the year 2050, according to the forthcoming report. The Trump administration, upon entering office in 2017, quickly undid those numbers and changed the math of how the social cost of carbon was calculated. Under their revised system, the damages by 2050 are estimated to cost around $11 per ton of carbon.</p><p>One of the ways the math changed was keeping in line with Trump's narrow worldview. The report found that the administration brought the cost of carbon down by only looking at the effects on the U.S. rather than the global cost.</p><p>Another way it brought down the cost of carbon was by using something called the discount rate, which, according to The New York Times, assumes society should not pay much now to prevent harm from climate change to future generations.</p>
<p>"As a result, the current federal estimates, based on domestic climate damages, are about seven times lower than the prior federal estimates that were based on global damages," the report found.</p><p>The economic costs were supposed to be revised by the National Academy of Sciences, but the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/scientists-epa-panel-air-pollution-2640669910.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">White House disbanded the working group</a> and has no intention of restarting them or revising the economic calculation, as The New York Times reported.</p><p>That refusal to update their calculations means future incarnations of the federal government "may not be well positioned to ensure agencies' future regulatory analyses are using the best available <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/science/">science</a>," according to the GAO report.</p>
<p>Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island and one of eight senators who requested the review, said, "Climate change is a massive threat to our economy. That threat will only grow in years to come, even if we take the action necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change," as The New York Times reported.</p><p>Michael Greenstone, an economist at the University of Chicago, said the Trump administration's calculations were not done in good faith.</p><p>"It was entirely a political act. I don't think anyone pretended that those moves were justified," he said.</p><p>Others see similarities between the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus and its approach to the climate crisis: deny its reality and then leave the country unprepared for its effects.</p><p>"This really parallels the mismanagement of coronavirus," said Michael K. Dorsey, a limited partner with IberSun, a renewable energy company, and a climate expert, to The New York Times. "There's this belief that by doing this you will have some effect of helping the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a> industry. The only thing it does, unfortunately, is undermine the ability of the government to make prudent decisions about moving critical resources to communities that are experiencing the unfolding climate crisis."</p>
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The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, voiced support for safe reopening measures. www.vperemen.com / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA
By Kristen Fischer
It's going to be back-to-school time soon, but will children go into the classrooms?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) thinks so, but only as long as safety measures are in place.
<p>The group's recent recommendations include social distancing protocol based on different grades. For example, it's more feasible to keep preschoolers in small groups (known as "cohorting") with the same teacher throughout the day. Older children should have desks 3 to 6 feet apart and wear masks.</p><p>They also say schools should limit unnecessary visitors to the buildings and utilize outdoor spaces for learning. The guidelines recommend safer bussing, hallway traffic monitoring, cafeteria use, cleaning, and screening protocols among other recommendations.</p><p>The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, also voiced support for safe reopening measures.</p><p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html" target="_blank">guidelines</a> for reopening schools.</p><p>Despite calls for them to be revised by <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-criticizes-cdc-guidelines-for-schools-reopening-11594225571" target="_blank">President Donald Trump</a>, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said <a href="https://time.com/5865108/cdc-reopening-guidelines-schools-trump-coronavirus/" target="_blank">they will not change</a>, but the CDC will soon publish additional documents on symptom monitoring and mask usage.</p><p>But school administrators, parents, and teachers remain wary of going back to school full time as they fear becoming the site of super spreader events.</p>
Keeping Schools Safe
<p>What will safer schools look like?</p><p>In a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766822" target="_blank">JAMA article</a> published last month, <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/faculty/directory/profile/1781/joshua-m-sharfstein" target="_blank">Dr. Joshua Sharfstein</a>, a pediatrician and professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, outlined suggestions — many of which are similar to AAP's.</p><p>Remote learning protocols must stay in place, especially as some schools stagger home and in-building learning. If another shutdown needs to occur, children will rely on distance learning completely, so it must be easy to switch to, he said.</p><p>He suggested giving parents a daily checklist to document their child's health. Kids should be screened quickly on arrival and be given hygiene supplies. Maintenance staff should use appropriate PPE and have regular cleaning schedules. A notification system should be in place if a case is identified, Sharfstein recommended.</p><p><a href="https://www.albany.edu/rockefeller/faculty/erika-martin" target="_blank">Erika Martin</a>, PhD, an associate professor of public administration and policy at University at Albany, said nutrition assistance and health services should be included. She called for tutoring programs with virtual options as well as technology access.</p><p>Not all recommendations will be achievable for schools in certain areas, noted <a href="https://www.albany.edu/rockefeller/faculty/lucy-sorensen" target="_blank">Lucy Sorensen</a>, PhD, an assistant professor of public administration and policy at University at Albany.</p><p>"It may not be feasible to space desks six feet apart or have windows open in classrooms in a New York winter," Sorensen explained.</p><p>Other strategies to safeguard school communities can include high-intensity ultraviolet light, thermal cameras, and conferencing systems.</p><p>"Social distancing will be hard for students," said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-pascoe-2a24aa63/" target="_blank">Tina M. Pascoe</a>, a nurse and co-founder of <a href="http://www.nursesfordaycare.com/Home.html" target="_blank">Nurses for Day Care</a>, who has been involved with efforts to keep day care centers open during the pandemic.</p><p>Limiting class size, and not having special activities that require students to leave the room, will be key. "This keeps students stay in one cohort or like a family unit," she told Healthline.</p>
Supporting Staff
<p>Teachers and staff will be affected by safeguarding measures, noted <a href="https://directory.sph.umn.edu/bio/sph-a-z/rachel-widome" target="_blank">Rachel Widome</a>, PhD, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health at University of Minnesota.</p><p>"In order for all of the in-school precautions to work well, we'll be asking a lot of teachers and staff," Widome told Healthline. In addition to their usual workload, they'll now be asked to monitor mask-wearing, ensure children are keeping distance, and be aware of any symptoms.</p><p>Along with Sharfstein, Widome called for an increase in financial support. More employees will likely be required so teachers and staff members can keep up with the added demands.</p>Should Kids Go Back?
<p>While these guidelines may help get some schools to reopen, many people don't think children should go back to school over fears they could contract the disease and spread it to other vulnerable family members like grandparents, infant siblings, or their parents.</p><p>In a <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/07/08/peds.2020-004879" target="_blank">Pediatrics</a> commentary, <a href="https://www.md.com/doctor/william-raszka-md" target="_blank">Dr. William V. Raszka, Jr.</a>, an infectious disease specialist at The University of Vermont Medical Center, argued that schools should open because school-aged children are far less important drivers of COVID-19 than adults.</p><p>But he says the risk and benefit is not equal among all students ages 5 to 18.</p><p>"Elementary schools are arguably higher priority for face-to-face schooling, since younger children are at lower risk for infection and transmission, and since parental supervision of younger children's distance learning may be particularly challenging," added Sorensen, who penned a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2767411" target="_blank">June article in JAMA</a> with reopening tips. "That means middle and high schools are more likely to emphasize distance learning."</p><p>Specific student populations, such as special education students and students with disabilities, would also benefit greatly from more time spent in face-to-face environments, Sorensen said.</p>What Parents Can Do
<p>Parents should ask for and receive frequent updates from schools about plans for the fall. They should also be informed about plans if and when COVID infections are identified, Sharfstein said.</p><p>"I'd like to see parents investing now, during the summer, in doing things that can slow and stop the spread of the virus in their communities," Widome said.</p><p>"Now is a good time for kids to practice wearing masks and get used to them as they may be wearing them for longer stretches if school starts up in person," Widome suggested.</p><p>She recommends parents try different mask designs and materials to see what children are more comfortable wearing.</p><p>"If you are using cloth face coverings, it's good to have extras on hand," Widome added.</p><p>Parents should model healthy behavior at home and while out in public — another thing that could affect how well children adapt to reopening practices, Sorensen said.</p><p>"Children may want to know more about face coverings," added <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/leescott/" target="_blank">Lee Scott</a>, chairwoman of the Educational Advisory Board at <a href="https://www.goddardschool.com/" target="_blank">The Goddard School</a>. "Dramatic play, such as creating or wearing a face covering, may help some children adjust to this concept." Schools can also show children photos of what faculty members look like in their masks so the students are familiar with that appearance.</p><p>Johns Hopkins University recently released its eSchool+ Initiative, a slew of resources surrounding education during the pandemic. These include a <a href="https://equityschoolplus.jhu.edu/reopening-checklist/" target="_blank">checklist for administrators</a>, report on <a href="https://equityschoolplus.jhu.edu/ethics-of-reopening/" target="_blank">ethical considerations</a>, and a tracker of <a href="https://equityschoolplus.jhu.edu/reopening-policy-tracker/" target="_blank">state and local reopening plans</a>.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Critics charge the legislation induces poor communities to sell off their water rights. Pexels
By Eoin Higgins
Over 300 groups on Monday urged Senate leadership to reject a bill currently under consideration that would incentivize communities to sell off their public water supplies to private companies for pennies on the dollar.
<p><br/></p>
<p>"This bill is an egregious handout to giant water corporations which would embolden them to manipulate and fleece struggling communities—particularly communities of color," said Food & Water Action executive director Wenonah Hauter. "The fact that this bill is being touted as an 'environmental justice' measure makes it all the more nefarious."</p><p>Food & Water Action led the demand in a <a href="https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/sites/default/files/opposition_to_the_voluntary_water_partnerships_for_distressed_communities_act.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a> taking aim at the "Voluntary Water Partnership for Distressed Communities Act," described in the document as "inappropriate, unjust, and unreasonable."</p><p>"From California to Montana to New Jersey, we've seen how privatizing water harms communities, whether it's higher bills or dirtier water," Donald Cohen, executive director of In the Public Interest, said in a statement. "It's simple: water is a basic human right, which means let's keep it in public hands."</p><p>The bill was introduced by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and acts as an amendment to the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020. Critics charge the legislation induces poor communities to sell off their water rights. </p>
<div id="fea63" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9a6f211c2bc5aedd34837944cb8eeedf"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1281000111481294849" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Water in Illinois is overwhelmingly public. Why is Tammy Duckworth sponsoring a bill that aims to change that? https://t.co/1V36Kkd99s</div> — The American Prospect (@The American Prospect)<a href="https://twitter.com/TheProspect/statuses/1281000111481294849">1594249201.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>As the <em>American Prospect</em>'s Robert Kuttner <a href="https://prospect.org/environment/privatizing-our-public-water-supply/" target="_blank">explained</a>, doing so would likely spell disaster for affected communities:</p><blockquote>Privatized systems are typically less reliable, far more expensive, and prone to corrupt deal-making. The average community with privatized water paid 59% more than those with government supplied water. In New Jersey, which has more private water than most, private systems charged 79% more. In Illinois, they charged 95% more. Private water corporations have also been implicated in environmental disasters. The French multinational, Veolia, issued a report in 2015 certifying that Flint, Michigan's water system met EPA standards, but neglected to mention high lead concentrations.<br></blockquote><p>"We know that Wall Street actors target Black and brown communities in moments of crisis to enrich themselves and Wall Street-backed water companies see opportunity in this moment," Maurice BP-Weeks, co-executive director of letter signatory Action Center on Race and the Economy, said in a statement.</p><p>BP-Weeks added that incentivizing water privatization at such a vulnerable moment for poor communities in the country is exactly the wrong move for what the crisis demands. </p><p>"As communities across the country search for relief from the ongoing pandemic, it would be short sighted and misguided to pass a bill that encourages the privatization of water systems," said BP-Weeks. "It is our government's job to protect our most vulnerable communities, not put them up for sale."</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/13/inappropriate-unjust-and-unreasonable-300-groups-slam-duckworth-water-privatization?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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California Walks Back Reopening as Coronavirus Cases and Hospitalizations Surge
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People enjoy outdoor dining along Pier Ave. in Hermosa Beach, California on July 8, 2020. Keith Birmingham / MediaNews Group / Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images
California is reversing its reopening plans amidst a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
<p>Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that businesses like restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, cardrooms, zoos and museums must no longer welcome people inside and bars must close altogether, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/13/890602390/california-closes-indoor-businesses-statewide-as-covid-19-cases-surge" target="_blank">NPR reported</a>. In addition, gyms, places of worship, hair and nail salons, malls and non-essential offices must close in 29 counties representing 80 percent of the state's population, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-13/newsom-california-county-rollback-reopening-coronavirus" target="_blank">the Los Angeles Times reported</a>.</p><p>"We're going back into modification mode of our original stay at home order," Newsom said, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/13/world/coronavirus-updates.html#link-1acfaa7f" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>. "This continues to be a deadly disease."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases continue to spread at alarming rates.<br> <br>CA is now closing indoor operations STATEWIDE for:<br><br>-Restaurants<br>-Wineries<br>-Movie theaters, family entertainment<br>-Zoos, museums<br>-Cardrooms<br><br>Bars must close ALL operations.</p>— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1282752861835649024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The news comes as coronavirus infections have been rising in about 40 of 50 U.S. states, according to <a href="https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN24E23E" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. California has emerged as one of the epicenters of the U.S. outbreak, along with Arizona, Florida and Texas. As of Sunday, California has been averaging more than 8,000 new cases a day, more than two times its daily average last month, The New York Times reported. In total California has seen 331,626 cases, the second highest caseload in the nation, according to New York Times figures. More than 7,000 Californians have died of the new disease.</p><p>California began its reopening process in early May and saw cases begin to rise in June, mostly due to a surge in Los Angeles County, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/13/890602390/california-closes-indoor-businesses-statewide-as-covid-19-cases-surge" target="_blank">NPR </a>reported. Newsom first responded by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-face-masks-mandatory-2646207535.html" target="_self">requiring face masks in public</a> from June 18 and then by shuttering bars and other indoor venues in 19 counties July 1.</p>
<p>Newsom said his decision Monday was informed by a rise in hospitalizations, people in intensive care units (ICUs) and the rate of positive test results. Over the last two weeks, the number of people hospitalized has increased 27.8 percent while the number of people in the ICU has increased 19.9 percent, state hospitals said Monday.</p><p>"We're seeing an increase in the spread of the virus, so that's why it's incumbent upon all of us to recognize soberly that COVID-19 is not going away any time soon until there is a vaccine or an effective therapy," Newsom said Monday, as the Los Angeles Times reported.</p><p>Counties currently subject to increased restrictions include some of the state's most populous.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NEW: As <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, 30 counties will now be required to CLOSE INDOOR OPERATIONS for:<br><br>-Fitness Centers<br>-Places of Worship<br>-Offices for Non-Critical Sectors<br>-Personal Care Services<br>-Hair Salons and Barbershops<br>-Malls</p>— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1282753656983449600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>Counties are added to a watch list if they see rising hospitalizations, community spread or decreasing hospital capacity for three days in a row. The idea is for counties to be added or removed from the list as local conditions change, allowing the state to flexibly adjust restrictions like a "dimmer switch," Newsom explained. But some business owners found the constant readjustments hard to cope with.</p><p>"Everyone is frustrated with the on/off switch in their personal and professional lives," Los Angeles-based public affairs firm President Fiona Hutton told the Los Angeles Times.</p>
<p>Still, some California businesses and localities have voluntarily adopted restrictions, NPR pointed out. Disney said it would keep its Southern California parks closed for the foreseeable future, and the public school districts of Los Angeles and San Diego said Monday they would start the year entirely remotely.</p><p>This puts them at odds with the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump-administration" target="_self">Trump administration</a>, which has pushed for schools nationwide to open as normal in the fall.</p><p>"Schools should be opened," President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> said in response, as The New York Times reported. "You're losing a lot of lives by keeping things closed."</p><p>The Times noted it is unclear what Trump meant because the virus tends to spread in poorly-ventilated, indoor areas like schools, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> experts have said.</p><p>The Los Angeles teachers union, meanwhile, applauded its district's decision.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Full statement👉🏼<a href="https://t.co/QKrhYxAZLK">https://t.co/QKrhYxAZLK</a> <a href="https://t.co/MXkvkRBnzC">pic.twitter.com/MXkvkRBnzC</a></p>— United Teachers Los Angeles (@UTLAnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/UTLAnow/status/1282780635359133696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>"In the face of the alarming spike in COVID cases, the lack of necessary funding from the government to open schools safely and the outsized threat of death faced by working-class communities of color, there really is no other choice that doesn't put thousands of lives at risk," United Teachers Los Angeles said in a statement reported by Reuters.</p>
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A protest against the name of the Washington Redskins in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Nov. 2, 2014. Fibonacci Blue / CC BY 2.0
The Washington Redskins will retire their controversial name and logo, the National Football League (NFL) team announced Monday.
<p>The decision follows a review of the name and logo that the team <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/Redskins/status/1279092759052398592" target="_blank">announced July 3</a> "in light of recent events around our country."</p><p>"Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review," the team said in a statement.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGbWVkaWElMkZFY3p0TmdCV0FBQTVXRl8uanBnJTNBbWVkaXVtJmhvPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGcGJzLnR3aW1nLmNvbSZzPTEwMDYmaD01YzQzMGNiZDI5ZDY4MTAyZWFiNGExM2M0OTExMDM4ZDdiMmFiNzk3ZGY4MTA5ZmM0YTBiY2Y4NzA3MGMyNDU2JnNpemU9OTgweCZjPTM5OTU2ODk3NTkiLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjMwMTM2OTg4fQ.YgodhwGfPgtLqye6G6kOJ-n5NtdkmedcHTjK730PwJc/img.jpg" id="dca13" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9c1d93c5c08249b98780571ea279d7b1" />
<p>The announcement comes as a swift and sudden reversal from team owner Dan Snyder. In 2013, he told USA TODAY to "put it in all caps" that he would never change the name, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29454868/washington-nfl-team-says-retire-redskins-name-logo" target="_blank">ESPN reported</a>. But then came the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/protestors-publich-health-coronavirus-covid-19-testing-2646141562.html" target="_self">massive protests</a> following the police murder of George Floyd, which prompted a nationwide reckoning over racial justice. A few weeks later, multiple sources said Snyder had been discussing the team's name with the NFL for weeks.</p><p>The team also faced increased corporate and activist pressure. Eighty-seven investors and shareholders signed a letter to team sponsors FedEx, PepsiCo and Nike asking them to stop doing business with the team until the name was changed. All three responded with statements saying they had told the team to change its name, and FedEx said it would take its name off the stadium if this did not happen.</p>
<p>When the team announced it was considering a change, activist group <a href="https://www.changethemascot.org/" target="_blank">Change The Mascot</a> urged it to abandon the name immediately.</p><p>"There is no reason not to immediately announce that the team is changing the mascot, since any real review will lead to the inevitable conclusion that the deeply offensive and racist name of Washington's NFL team must go now," Change the Mascot leader Ray Halbritter said in a press release. "Team owner Dan Snyder can stand on the right side of history and create a new, positive legacy for his team, or instead continue embracing a bigoted slur that denigrates Native Americans and people of color."</p>
<p>The team has not yet announced a new name or logo, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that it would no longer use Native American imagery.</p><p>"Dan Snyder and Coach [Ron] Rivera are working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition-rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years," the team said Monday.</p><p>The team has used the Redskins name for 87 years and the logo was designed by a Native American in 1971.</p>
<p>While the change was precipitated by recent protests, the movement to end the use of Native American imagery for names and mascots began in the 1970s, <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/retired-washington-nfl-team-leaves-racist-name-behind-pa0kLXIJ70uvMgEntv-xag" target="_blank">Indian Country Today reported</a>. Native American groups have targeted the Redskins name specifically for decades, and a recent UC Berkeley study found that 67 percent of respondents who strongly identified as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/indigenous" target="_self">Indigenous</a> thought the name was offensive.</p><p>While hundreds of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/maine-bans-native-american-mascots-2637401197.html" target="_self">universities and schools</a> have retired Native mascots in recent years, professional sports teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians have resisted, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/13/sports/football/washington-redskins-new-name.html" target="_blank">The New York Times pointed out</a>.</p><p>But activists vowed to keep fighting.</p><p>"Dear @Braves, @Chiefs, @NHLBlackhawks: The target on your backs just got much larger," the group Not Your Mascot tweeted.</p>
<div id="70d0a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ca68952828cd7d57b80238aacaed935"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1282681032379174915" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Dear @Braves, @Chiefs, @NHLBlackhawks:
The target on your backs just got much larger.
Sincerely:
Everyone</div> — Not Your Mascot (@Not Your Mascot)<a href="https://twitter.com/NotYourMascot/statuses/1282681032379174915">1594649963.0</a></blockquote></div>
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The survival tools northern fish have used for millennia could be a disadvantage as environmental conditions warm and more fast-paced species move in. Istvan Banyai / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 3.0
By Alyssa Murdoch, Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle and Sapna Sharma
Summer has finally arrived in the northern reaches of Canada and Alaska, liberating hundreds of thousands of northern stream fish from their wintering habitats.
<p>Through the long winter, many have endured cramped, icy quarters with perilously low oxygen levels. Others have recently journeyed incredible distances from large rivers and lakes to small summer habitats upstream.</p><p>Northern stream fish come from a long line of hardy adapters. Their ancestors were well equipped to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1352-8_2" target="_blank">survive multiple ice ages and then go on to colonize some of the coldest newly accessible northern habitats</a>. They thrive in some of the most dynamic conditions on the planet, from short intense summers, with up to 24 hours of sunlight, to long cold winters with limited light and food.</p><p>But the survival tools these fish have used for millennia — exceptional tolerance to cold, slow growth rates and long lifespans — could be a disadvantage as environmental conditions in the north warm and more fast-paced species move in.</p><p>Our research team set out to see how stream fishes were responding to unprecedented environmental changes across their northern ranges. Ultimately, we wanted to know how these changes might affect the hundreds of thousands of people in Alaska and northern Canada that rely on local fisheries for food, culture and economic security.</p>
A Good News Story?
<p>On the surface, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13569" target="_blank">results from our study</a> appear to provide a "good news" story. Warming temperatures were linked to higher numbers of fish, more species overall and, therefore, potentially more fishing opportunities for northerners.</p><p>Initially, we were surprised to learn that warming was increasing the distribution of cold-adapted fish. We reasoned that modest amounts of warming could lead to benefits such as increased food and winter habitat availability without reaching stressful levels for many species.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MzA0Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzk5MDY3NX0.IjplojcI7x34IWnPz7YlA72ZVLhHBb1AjpXt7GiudvU/img.jpg?width=980" id="e1628" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="128684685dc318c8600631cba0d7aee1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Photo of Arctic grayling (left) and Dolly Varden trout (right). Alyssa Murdoch / Lilian Tran / Nunavik Research Centre and Tracey Loewen / Fisheries and Oceans Canada
<p>Yet, not all fish species fared equally well. Ecologically unique northern species — those that have evolved in colder, more nutrient-poor environments, such as Arctic grayling and Dolly Varden trout — were showing declines with warming.</p>Fish Strandings and Buried Eggs
<p>Recent news headlines run the gamut for Pacific salmon — from their increased escapades <a href="https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/more-pacific-salmon-showing-up-in-western-arctic-waters/" target="_blank">into the Arctic</a> to <a href="https://www.juneauempire.com/news/warm-waters-across-alaska-cause-salmon-die-offs/" target="_blank">massive pre-spawning die-offs</a> in central Alaska. Similarly, results from our study revealed different outcomes for fish depending on local climatic conditions, including Pacific salmon.</p><p>We found that warmer spring and fall temperatures may be helping juvenile salmon by providing a longer and more plentiful growing season, and by supporting early egg development in northern regions that were previously too cold for survival.</p><p>In contrast, salmon declined in regions that were experiencing wetter fall conditions, pointing to an increased risk of flooding and sedimentation that could bury or dislodge incubating eggs.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ1MzAzMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTU1Nzk3OX0.cEBVXfCGyyk0dvV6j9caHJlnS1qfbyBIjv8IukxDrDY/img.jpg?width=980" id="7dfe7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="446709f805ed143541f429131803df26" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Headwaters of the Wind River within the largely intact Peel River watershed in northern Canada. Don Reid / Wildlife Conservation Society Canada / Author provided
<p>Interestingly, we found that certain climatic combinations, such as warmer summer water temperatures with decreased summer rainfall, were important in determining where Pacific salmon could survive. Summer warming in drier watersheds led to declines, suggesting that lowered streamflows may have increased the risk of fish becoming stranded in subpar habitats that were too warm and crowded.</p>The Fate of Northern Fisheries
<p>The promise of a warmer and more accessible Arctic has attracted mounting interest in new economic opportunities, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103637" target="_blank">including fisheries</a>. As warming rates at higher latitudes are already <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank">two to three times global levels</a>, it seems probable that northern biodiversity will experience dramatic shifts in the coming decades.</p><p>Despite the many unknowns surrounding the future of Pacific salmon, many fisheries are currently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03632415.2017.1374251" target="_blank">thriving following warmer and more productive northern oceans</a>, and some <a href="https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic68876" target="_blank">Arctic Indigenous communities are developing new salmon fisheries</a>.</p><p>As warming continues, the commercial salmon fishing industry is poised to expand northwards, but its success will largely depend on extenuating factors such as <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060023067" target="_blank">changes to marine habitat and food sources</a> and <a href="https://www.yukon-news.com/news/promising-chinook-salmon-run-failed-to-materialize-in-the-yukon-river-panel-hears/" target="_blank">how many fish are caught during the freshwater stages of their journey</a>.</p><p>Even with the potential for increased northern biodiversity, it is important to recognize that some northern communities may be unable to adapt or may <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/searching-for-the-yukon-rivers-missing-chinook/" target="_blank">lose individual species that are associated with important cultural values</a>.</p><p>For example, many Yukon First Nations, including Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/trondek-hwechin-first-nation-aims-revitalize-critical-salmon-stocks-yukon" target="_blank">have voluntarily refrained from fishing their main traditional food of chinook salmon</a> to help stocks recover. Other communities that rely on increasingly vulnerable <a href="http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/techpap/TP373.pdf" target="_blank">northern-adapted species such as Arctic grayling and Dolly Varden trout</a> may also be at risk to future changes.</p><p>Although climate change action is urgently required at the global level, there are still tools that environmental managers can employ locally to reduce some of the effects. For example, watersheds with an elevated risk of flooding during the salmon incubation period could have more stringent streamside habitat protections, such as preserving larger areas of streamside vegetation from development, actively revegetating disturbed areas and conducting site-specific erosion and sediment control studies. In dangerously warm and dry years, fishing quotas could be reduced to limit salmon die-offs.</p><p>Ultimately, we advise that getting ahead of these impending changes by preserving the integrity of large intact watersheds will be key for protecting these evolutionary superstars from new human-driven pressures.</p>
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</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alyssa-murdoch-866709" target="_blank">Alyssa Murdoch</a> is a </em><em>PhD candidate and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Weston Fellow, York University, Canada.</em>
</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chrystal-mantyka-pringle-187054" target="_blank">Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle</a> is a </em><em>Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Planning Biologist and Adjunct Professor of Conservation Biology, University of Saskatchewan.</em>
</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sapna-sharma-416603" target="_blank">Sapna Sharma</a> is an </em><em>Associate Professor and York University Research Chair in Global Change Biology, York University, Canada.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>Alyssa Murdoch received funding from a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarship and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. </em><em>Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle receives funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Chrystal is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a Conservation Planning Biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. </em><em>Sapna Sharma receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant, Ontario Ministry of Innovation Early Researcher Award, Genome Canada, and the York University Research Chair Program. Sapna is a York Research Chair in Global Change Biology and Associate Professor at York University and a Trustee at the Royal Canadian Institute for Science.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/northern-fish-are-tough-but-climate-change-is-causing-some-to-dwindle-138676" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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A mother walks her children through a fountain on a warm summer day on July 12, 2020 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Gary Hershorn / Getty Images
A heat wave that set in over the South and Southwest left much of the U.S. blanketed in record-breaking triple digit temperatures over the weekend. The widespread and intense heat wave will last for weeks, making the magnitude and duration of its heat impressive, according to The Washington Post.
<p>The heat wave brought temperatures that soared above 110 degrees to some parts of the South over the weekend. While it scorched that part of the country, it is expected to linger around the nation's heartland as it moves north and east over the Ohio Valley this week, according to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/heat-wave-across-united-states-multiple-weeks/" target="_blank">CBS News</a>.</p><p>Last week, the National Weather Service predicted 75 or more record-high temperatures would be approached or broken from Friday to Tuesday alone, and that number is likely to grow significantly into this upcoming week, as CBS News reported.</p>
<p>"The heat wave will be very long-lived, lasting multiple weeks in some areas with only a few days of near-normal temperatures during that span," said Jeff Masters, Ph.D., founder of the popular site Weather Underground and a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections, to CBS News. "This will increase the odds of heat illness and heat-related deaths."</p><p>The high temperatures in many parts of the country were 10 degrees above normal over the weekend. Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson all saw temperatures over 110 degrees. Dallas, San Antonio and Lubbock all exceeded 100 degrees. In New England, Boston and Providence had a heat index of 96 degrees. Other hot locations included Orlando, Florida, Montgomery, Alabama and Columbia, South Carolina, which all saw temperatures around 95 degrees Sunday, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/12/weather/heat-wave-arizona-nevada-texas-forecast-sunday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p><p>Lara Pagano, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/12/us-south-heatwave-warnings" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> that the heatwave is being caused by high pressure over the area that is being exacerbated by unusually low monsoonal moisture.</p><p>"Typically this time of year we tend to see more monsoonal moisture moving into the south-west so that can help temper some of the higher temperatures," she said. "It's been delayed."</p>
<p>The Washington Post reported that by the middle of this week, a zone of high pressure coming down from southeast Canada will merge with a similar system in the west, combining into a synergistic continental-scale heat dome.</p><p>The bigger these heat domes grow, the hotter and longer-lasting heat waves become. And this will be a big one, according to CBS News. More than 80 percent of the nation — 265 million people — will see highs above 90 within a week. Another 50 million will experience triple-digit temperatures, with high-temperature alerts in every southern state from California to Florida.</p><p>That heat will also bring the possibility of moderate to severe windstorms in some parts of the country.</p>
<p>As the climate crisis continues to worsen, it ushers in more severe and intense heat events. A recent analysis by Climate Central found that the number of days each year with both high heat and humidity has doubled across much of the United States since 1980, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/07/10/heat-wave-lower-48/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p><p>"Another decade of global warming, combined with natural variability, should produce a July heat wave in the U.S. capable of beating most of the Dust Bowl extreme temperature records," said Masters to CBS News.</p><p>Long-term computer model projections point to a continuation of heat into the end of July.</p>
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