Artist's impression of an Othalo community, imagined by architect Julien De Smedt. Othalo
By Victoria Masterson
Using one of the world's problems to solve another is the philosophy behind a Norwegian start-up's mission to develop affordable housing from 100% recycled plastic.
<p>Since 1950, more than nine billion tonnes of plastic have been produced globally, of which only 9% is recycled, according to <a href="https://www.othalo.com/october-5-press-release-norwegian-c" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">building tech company Othalo</a>, while almost a billion people live in slums.</p><p>It has partnered with <a href="https://unhabitat.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UN-Habitat</a> – the United Nations program for human settlements and sustainable urban development – to create components to build three demonstration homes to help tackle Africa's housing shortage.</p>
<p>"In sub-Saharan Africa alone, the immediate need for low-cost housing is 160 million units," the company says.</p><p>This is expected to increase to 360 million by 2050 as a result of rapid urbanization. But with today's plastic waste, Othalo believes more than one billion houses can be built.</p><p>In 2021, the first factory producing elements such as partitions for walls, ceilings and floors from recycled plastic will be built in Kenya.</p>
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Sustainable Homes
<p>UN-Habitat says an <a href="https://unhabitat.org/un-habitat-aims-to-use-plastic-waste-to-support-housing-for-all" target="_blank">estimated 60% of people living in urban areas of Africa are in informal settlements</a>. At the same time, between 1990 and 2017, African countries imported around 230 metric tonnes of plastic, "which mostly ended up in dump sites creating a massive environmental challenge," the agency adds.</p><p>UN-Habitat deputy executive director, Victor Kisob, said the aim of the partnership with Othalo was to "promote adequate, sustainable and affordable housing for all."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg0NDc5NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTYzNjYzNH0.2CbfdMTXXQP4Vmie56i-OgiW69VgLHRXL8ky4qI48Ng/img.png?width=980" id="78bba" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d53bddf04ac55d4eda2bc1690954fe4d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Artist's impression of an Othalo community, imagined by architect Julien De Smedt. Othalo
<p>Othalo's process involves shredding plastic waste and mixing it with other elements, including non-flammable materials. Components are used to build up to four floors, with a home of 60 square metres using eight tons of recycled plastic. A factory with one production line can produce 2,800 housing units annually.</p><p>Following successful laboratory tests, Othalo's factory in Estonia has started producing components to build three demonstration homes for Kenya's capital, Nairobi; Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon and Dakar, the capital of Senegal.</p><p>Othalo founder Frank Cato Lahti has been developing and testing the technology since 2016 in partnership with <a href="https://www.sintef.no/en/" target="_blank">SINTEF</a>, a 70-year-old independent research organization in Trondheim, Norway, and experts at Norway's <a href="https://en.uit.no/startsida" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Tromsø</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg0NDgwNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjQwNjc4OH0.Gt1tcWTTglKeGrsxBC9C1YxZfBMYbr5gSw7J-JB07ew/img.png?width=980" id="d0165" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ebfc38fb8b318b7709ff1fa213b4efa7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Othalo founder Frank Cato Lahti. Othalo
<p>Almost <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html" target="_blank">seven out of every 10 people in the world are expected to live in urban areas by 2050</a>. More than 90% of this growth will take place in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.</p><p>"In the absence of effective urban planning, the consequences of this rapid urbanization will be dramatic," UN-Habitat warns.</p><p>Lack of proper housing and growth of slums, inadequate and outdated infrastructure, escalating poverty and unemployment, and pollution and health issues, are just some of the effects.</p><p>Mindsets, policies, and approaches towards urbanization need to change for the growth of cities and urban areas to be turned into opportunities that will leave nobody behind, UN-Habitat says.</p>Pioneers of Change
<p>Reimagining cities and communities for greater resilience and sustainability was a key topic at the<a href="https://www.weforum.org/events/pioneers-of-change-summit-2020" target="_blank"> World Economic Forum's Pioneers of Change Summit 2020</a>.</p><p>The digital event brought together innovators and stakeholders from around the world to explore solutions to the challenges facing enterprises, governments and society.</p><p>Opening the summit, <a href="https://www.weforum.org/events/pioneers-of-change-summit-2020/sessions/opening-plenary-8f731cbc65" target="_blank">Stephan Mergenthaler, the Forum's Head of Strategic Intelligence and a member of the Executive Committee</a>, said: "We need to change the way we produce, the way we live and interact in our cities to make this transition to net-zero emissions a reality…</p><p>"And as this year has illustrated so dramatically, we need to make every effort that we keep populations healthy, if we want to avoid jeopardizing all this progress."</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/un-africa-recycled-plastic-housing/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649069252#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
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U.S. returns create about 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. manonallard / Getty Images
Many people shop online for everything from clothes to appliances. If they do not like the product, they simply return it. But there's an environmental cost to returns.
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<p>Meagan Knowlton is a sustainability manager at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optoro.com/impact/environmental-impact/">Optoro</a>, a company that helps retailers process and resell returns. Optoro estimates that each year, returns in the U.S. create about 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.</p><p>That's about the same amount of carbon pollution produced by 3 million cars during an entire year.</p><p>"And that's just from putting returns in trucks and moving them around, back from the consumers … and then on to their next homes," Knowlton says.</p>
<p>That home might be another customer. But sometimes retailers cannot resell returns at a profit and unsold items may end up in landfills.</p><p>"We estimate that at least 5 billion pounds of landfill waste are created every year in the U.S. from returns alone," Knowlton says.</p><p>To reduce that waste, Optoro helps retailers find new places to resell or donate returned merchandise.</p><p>Knowlton says consumers can help by considering the environmental costs of returns before they buy.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/11/free-returns-come-at-a-cost-to-the-climate/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Just 1% of Farms Control 70% of Global Farmland: Study Finds 'Shocking State of Land Inequality'
25 November
Food
Sprinklers irrigate a field of onions near a Castilian village in Spain. According to a new study, the average farm size in the EU has almost doubled since the 1960s. miguelangelortega / Moment / Getty Images
By Andrea Germanos
A new report released Tuesday details the "shocking" state of global land equality, saying the problem is worse than thought, rising, and "cannot be ignored."
<p>Among the key findings is that the largest 1% of the world's farms operate 70% of farmland and "form the core of production for the corporate food system." What's more, "given the trends in the agriculture and food systems, land consolidation will inevitably increase further."</p><p>The warning is laid out in "<a href="https://www.landcoalition.org/en/uneven-ground/" target="_blank"><em>Uneven Ground: land inequality at the heart of unequal societies</em></a>." Released by the International Land Coalition in collaboration with Oxfam, the publication synthesizes new research and existing data and shows how land inequality is linked with other issues including poverty, intergenerational justice and migration, environmental degradation, and the climate crisis.</p><p>"These findings radically alter our understanding of the extent and far reaching consequences land inequality has, proving that not only is it a bigger problem than we thought but it's undermining the stability and development of sustainable societies," said Ward Anseeuw, a co-author of the report.</p>
<div id="79f64" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bd50807364597fe98806eb08bea91ecb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1331254927746883593" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The shocking reality of #LandInequality
Read more about rising land inequality 📈 on:
💻 https://t.co/uRxTpE4fm7… https://t.co/Q3OyiJ4hCV</div> — Land Coalition (@Land Coalition)<a href="https://twitter.com/landcoalition/statuses/1331254927746883593">1606230882.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>According to the analysis, the issue of land inequality should encompass a broader range of dimensions than typically used to capture not only differences in land ownership but other factors such as the size and quality of land and the ability to have real decision-making power over how the land is used.</p><p>The report lays out the scope of the issue:</p><blockquote>Land is a common good, providing water, food, and natural resources that sustain all life. It is the guarantor of biodiversity, health, resilience, and equitable and sustainable livelihoods. It is immovable, non-renewable, and inextricably connected to people and societies. How we manage and control land has shaped our economies, political structures, communities, cultures, and beliefs for thousands of years.</blockquote>
<p><br>Who gets that control is not decided by accident, says Giulia Baldinelli of ILC and co-author of the report.</p><p>"What we're seeing is that land inequality is fundamentally a product of elite control, corporate interests, and political choices. And although the importance of land inequality is widely accepted, the tools to address it remain weakly implemented and vested interests in existing land distribution patterns, hard to shift," Baldinelli <a href="https://www.landcoalition.org/en/newsroom/new-report-reveals-land-inequality-worse-we-thought-and-fueling-other-inequalities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in a statement.</p><p>The impacts of the imbalance are far-reaching, with links stretching to the coronavirus pandemic. From the report:</p><blockquote>Covid-19 is the latest zoonotic disease to emerge from a combination of unsanitary animal farming and pressure on wildlife populations. While its main impact has been on urban populations, Covid-19 has further exposed inequalities faced by land-disadvantaged groups, such as indigenous peoples, lower castes, the elderly, women, youth, and migrants, as well as casual workers (common in agribusiness) and landless tenants (UNDP, 2020; FAO, 2020; ILC, 2020). Land inequality diminishes resilience to disease shocks and, at a household level, may lead to loss of shelter and lack of access to infrastructure and services, traditional community networks, and institutions of social reciprocity. Women's resilience and coping strategies are limited by weaker land rights, which puts them at even greater disadvantage in these situations, with a knock-on effect on children and youth in their households (FAO, 2020; FAO, IFAD and UNIDO, 2016). Land grabbing and forced evictions have been documented in the context of Covid-19 (ILC, 2020), exacerbating land and land rights inequalities, particularly in societies that are heavily policed.</blockquote>
<p>"As we move towards a post-Covid world, we will see increased pressure for fast economic gain at the expense of people and nature," warned Mike Taylor, director of the International Land Coalition Secretariat He added that "there is always, however, a more inclusive path to rebuilding our economies, that emphasizes sustainable use of natural resources, respects human rights, and addresses systemic causes of inequality."</p><p>While low-income countries have seen an "increasing number of mega-farms, each taking up thousands, even tens of thousands, of hectares," the issue of land inequality stretches globally. "After 1980, in all regions, land concentration has either been increasing significantly (North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific) or a decreasing trend is being reversed (Africa and Latin America)," the report finds.</p><p>In North America, for example, the report points to the decades between 1960 and 1990 when there was a "drastic increase in land and agricultural concentration" and the number of farms plummeted by 1.6 million, dropping to 2.1 million. The same time period also saw the average farm size swell from 122.6 hectares to 187 hectares.</p>
<p>Although there has been a more recent stabilization in the number of farms in North America, that doesn't capture the whole story:</p><blockquote>What the figures on farm size do not reveal, however, are the even more substantial increases in the concentration of large-scale production on a shrinking number of farms. Almost 1 million farms (980,000) in the USA have less than $5,000 in sales per annum, while the largest 7% of farms account for 80% of production value (MacDonald, 2016). This leaves a situation where some 1.3 million, or 60%, of the farms in the USA produce only 6.6% of the total production value (Gollin, 2019). These include farms of below five hectares, many of which are known as "retirement farms" or "off-farm occupation farms," with owners who do not depend on agricultural production for their livelihoods."</blockquote><p>So what is to be done?</p><p>The report outlines a number of possible steps: democratize land governance; strengthen land-related regulation; invest in well-functioning land registries; strengthen transparency and monitoring of land holdings; legally enforce responsible corporate practice; Protect common and customary rights; recognize and protect women's land rights; respect and strengthen civil society institutions and capacities; and build more sustainable and equitable production models and food systems.</p><p>"A transformative agenda of this magnitude is not optional," the report concludes. "It is urgent and is in the interests of all humanity, for more resilient, sustainable, and equitable societies."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/24/just-1-farms-controlling-70-global-farmland-study-reveals-shocking-level-land" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A fish farm off the coast of Tasmania. CW03070 / E+ / Getty Images
Around 50,000 farmed salmon swam free on Monday after a fire melted part of their enclosure off the coast of Tasmania.
<p>The salmon's escape has prompted concerns from local environmentalists, who are worried about the impact of the farmed fish on native <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> and ecosystems. While the farm's owners insist that impact will be minimal and the fish will be quickly eaten by seals or caught by recreational fishers, others disagree.</p><p>"It's like claiming a sewage spill is all good because it releases nutrients into the food chain," <a href="https://neighboursoffishfarming.org.au/" target="_blank">Neighbours of Fish Farming</a> president Peter George told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/24/fears-for-environment-after-50000-fish-escape-salmon-farm-in-tasmania" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>The fire that allowed the fish to escape broke out early Monday morning at an offshore enclosure owned by Huon Aquaculture, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-23/salmon-breakout-after-fire-huon-aquaculture-tasmania/12912222" target="_blank">Australia's ABC News reported</a>. The fire damaged about a third of a pen by burning and melting the pen both above and below the waterline, allowing the fish to escape. The company estimates that between 50,000 and 52,000 fish weighing four kilograms (approximately 8.8 pounds) each got away.<br></p><p>Huon Aquaculture does not yet know what caused the blaze.</p><p>"We have electrical equipment on our pens but in 35 years of farming we have never had an electrical fire on a fish pen so the cause has baffled us," CEO Peter Bender told the <a href="https://www.portnews.com.au/story/7025098/fish-farm-fire-sets-52k-salmon-free-in-tas/" target="_blank">Australian Associated Press</a>.<br></p>
<p>The escaped fish account for less than one percent of Huon's stocks, and the company has no plans to recapture them, according to The Guardian. But company representatives were confident the fish would not harm Tasmanian ecosystems.</p><p>Pene Snashall, the corporate communications and community relations manager at Huon Aquaculture, pointed to a 2018 <a href="https://www.imas.utas.edu.au/" target="_blank">Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies</a> (IMAS) report that found that escaped farmed fish tend not to eat native fauna.</p><p>"Farmed salmon generally don't appear to feed on native species. While some fish did survive for some months, this did not necessary mean that these fish were thriving," Snashall told The Guardian.</p>
<p>But environmentalists disagreed.</p><p>"One IMAS [Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies] study found 15% of escaped salmon lived off wild fish – that's 7,800 from just this escape, and they happen regularly," Laura Kelly of <a href="https://www.et.org.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Environment Tasmania</a> told The Guardian. "Then there's the animal welfare issues – with thousands of animals just starving to death. Huon needs to follow global investment patterns and get their feedlots out of the ocean and onto land."</p><p>And competition for food is not the only concern.</p><p>"There is also the worry these introduced species will [be] establishing populations in the wild," Dr. Christine Materia, also of Neighbours of Fish Farming, told <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-24/salmon-escaped-from-fish-farm-caught-by-tasmanian-anglers/12914804" target="_blank">ABC News</a>.</p>
<p>IMAS associate professor Jeremy Lyle said that evidence did show that the impact of fish farm escapes like this one was "not that significant," but he also said any release of non-native species could pose problems.</p><p>"Any event like this is of some concern," he told ABC News. "Keeping introduced animals contained is more desirable."</p><p>The escape has brought out lots of recreational fishing aficionados to try and catch some of the salmon. Materia thought the company should compensate them for their efforts at containing the escape. Lyle, meanwhile, asked anyone who caught a fish to report the contents of its stomach to IMAS for research.</p>
<p><em>Correction: This article has been revised to reflect that each fish that got away weighed an estimated four kilograms.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Fossil fuel companies received $110 billion in direct and indirect financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, including up to $15.2 billion in direct federal relief. Andrew Hart /
By Bret Wilkins
In a year in which the United States has already suffered 16 climate-driven extreme weather events causing more than $1 billion in economic damages, and as millions of American workers face loss of essential unemployment benefits due to congressional inaction, a report published Monday reveals the Trump administration has given fossil fuel companies as much as $15.2 billion in direct relief — and tens of billions more indirectly — through federal COVID-19 recovery programs since March.
<p>The report by BailoutWatch, Public Citizen, and Friends of the Earth — titled <em><a href="https://www.citizen.org/article/bailed-out-and-propped-up/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=94926f68-3c0f-462d-87c9-ae6d05950810" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bailed Out and Propped Up</a> —</em>tracks taxpayer funds flowing to fossil fuel companies since pandemic-related bailouts began. It found a total of $110 billion in direct and indirect benefits went to 66 companies, including between $10.4 and $15.2 billion in direct disbursements to coal, oil, and gas companies that are largely responsible for the worsening climate emergency. </p>
<p>Here's a breakdown, according to the report:</p><ul><li>At least $5.5 billion went to 70 money-losing polluters via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.</li><li>$582 million in direct, subsidized loans were approved for 37 mid-sized fossil fuel and related companies through the Federal Reserve's Main Street Lending Program.</li><li>$4.3 to $9.1 billion in forgivable loans went to at least 25,931 companies through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program.</li><li>At least 229 oil and gas companies received waivers for fees normally paid to drill on public land — giveaways that cost the government a minimum of $4.5 million in lost revenue, and likely far more.</li></ul><p>The report found that five fossil fuel companies — Diamondback Energy, EOG Resources, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, and Valero — received more than 10% of the $110 billion in direct benefits, including tax refunds, and indirect support through the issuance of bonds, even if they were losing money. Reassured by the Fed's actions, private investors purchased more fossil fuel bonds, generating some $100 billion in additional indirect benefits.</p>
<div id="dbef0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2841b587ecc5cf0041553e90425d4397"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330888073228427264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: The fossil fuel industry has received up to $15,000,000,000 in direct COVID relief since bailout programs… https://t.co/znbkDW2f0M</div> — Public Citizen (@Public Citizen)<a href="https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen/statuses/1330888073228427264">1606143418.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"When the pandemic hit last spring, Trump's corporate cronies made sure the fossil fuel industry was able to squeeze whatever favors they could out of the resulting economic rescues," wrote Alan Zibel, research director of Public Citizen's Corporate Presidency Project and a co-author of the report. "The Biden administration and the next Congress will have a golden opportunity to ensure our efforts to rescue the economy no longer benefit the very companies most responsible for the devastation caused by climate change."</p><p>Christopher Kuveke, a BailoutWatch analyst and a co-author of the report, added that "the fossil fuel industry took advantage of the pandemic to put their hands out for help escaping a financial mess of their own making, and their allies in the federal government rode to the rescue."</p><p>"By artificially delaying the industry's inevitable decline at taxpayers' expense, the government has made it that much harder to make the necessary transition to clean energy sources," he added.</p>
<p>The report comes just after members of Congress <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/11/23/21575394/stimulus-covid-relief-bill-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">headed home</a> on vacation without having passed a new coronavirus relief bill, and as millions of Americans <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/18/about-be-catapulted-cliff-study-shows-12-million-set-lose-jobless-benefits-after" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">face the grim prospect</a> of losing essential unemployment benefits as the CARES Act is set to expire at the end of the year.</p><p>Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) <a href="https://the-beam.com/finance/how-to-finance-a-global-green-new-deal-and-stop-climate-change-at-1-5c/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">excoriated</a> Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on the floor of the House of Representatives, accusing him of "abandoning our people."</p><p>"While... thousands of people in Texas lined up for food lines... hospitals no longer have beds to house the sick... [and] 30 million Americans are on the brink of eviction, [McConnell] dismissed the Senate," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Every single day, when we go back to our communities, people are asking us, 'Where is there going to be help? Is there going to be a second stimulus check? Are we going to get the resources that we need?"</p>
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<p>Climate activists and many economists argue that giving money to those most culpable for carbon emissions is the exact opposite of what governments should be doing. One economist says that instead of selling fossil fuel bonds, governments should be promoting "Green Climate Bonds."</p><p>"With a mere fraction of the Covid-19 recovery funds, central banks could support climate protection," <a href="https://the-beam.com/finance/how-to-finance-a-global-green-new-deal-and-stop-climate-change-at-1-5c/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> World Future Council chief economist Matthias Kroll last week. He continued:</p><blockquote>The price for coping with the systemically relevant climate crisis... appears almost to be a bargain: with a fraction of the funds used to overcome the Covid-19 crisis (or the banking crisis of 2008), the central banks could trigger investments in climate protection of a magnitude that would make the 1.5°C target [under the Paris agreement] achievable. The central banks would not even need to create additional money for this. It would be sufficient to replace expiring assets from previous purchase programs with new types of "Green Climate Bonds."</blockquote><p>A May 2020 <a href="https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/press-release-study-pandemic-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> by the World Future Council estimated the cost of a global "climate bailout" at a relatively modest $175 million per year, resulting in a one-third reduction in worldwide carbon emissions by the end of the decade.</p><p>"We need to start thinking about how to practically finance a Green New Deal and a swift transition to 100% <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a>, and central banks should start playing a proactive role," wrote Kroll. "Let's treat the climate emergency as what it is, and let's bail out the climate, too!"</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/time-cut-dirty-energys-lifeline-report-details-how-fossil-fuel-industry-feasted" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A woman is seen shopping in a boutique. Thomas Barwick / Getty Images
By Amol Mehra
Set against rising calls for action to combat growing inequality and the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of the key drivers of industry and economic reform: workers, communities and the environment.
<p>The crisis has laid bare the perils of relying on purely market-based approaches. This should not be a surprise to those who have long railed against the free market, shareholder-centric approach, derived from current neoliberal economic narratives.</p><p>The tide is turning, however, and business leaders are starting to understand that their legitimacy may hinge on how they respond. Those who seize this moment will surely benefit from the swing in momentum towards a more human and environment-centered approach to doing business.</p><p>Take for example the calls to "Build Back Better" from the "We Mean Business Coalition" – a group of over 1000 companies with a market cap of over $24 trillion who are organizing to support climate action and just economy approaches.</p><p>Through setting commitments for companies and building collective power to lobby governments and policy-makers, this group is joining the chorus of human rights, labour and environmental movements which have been ringing the alarm for change for some time. Together, the approach has huge potential to shift the debate – and to lead to meaningful action on the part of policy-makers to commit to tackling the threats posed by the climate crisis.</p><p>These two industries – the built environment and fashion – are sectors that are ripe for transformation and where even subtle shifts have potential for wide-reaching transformation. Here's why:</p>
The Built Environment
<p>The built environment – the physical places and structures that we inhabit – is a huge potential change agent in this regard. Buildings and construction account for massive amounts of energy usage and about 40% of global CO2 emissions, providing a clear pathway to shift current consumption and production pathways.</p><p>The construction sector accounts for around <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Capital%20Projects%20and%20Infrastructure/Our%20Insights/Reinventing%20construction%20through%20a%20productivity%20revolution/MGI-Reinventing-Construction-In-Brief.pdf" target="_blank">13% of the world's GDP </a>and<a href="https://iloblog.org/2020/05/11/the-construction-sector-can-help-lead-the-economic-recovery-heres-how/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> for 7.2% of the global workforce</a>. Many of the jobs linked to these sector have a negative history of labour rights, especially with respect to <a href="https://laborrights.org/issues/migrant-labor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">migrant laborers</a>. As <a href="https://iloblog.org/2020/05/11/the-construction-sector-can-help-lead-the-economic-recovery-heres-how/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">experts have noted</a>, the scale of the industry and its relative impacts on labour markets and the environment make it a prime agent of transformation of the broader global economy.</p><p>By prioritizing approaches that focus on decarbonization and the promotion of labor rights protections, we can create economic opportunities that promote healthy, regenerative structures. Efforts are starting to seed in this regard, with <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/1/15/21058051/climate-change-building-materials-mass-timber-cross-laminated-clt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increased attention</a> being placed to mass timber and other wood products in construction, as well as the use of natural materials in buildings.</p><p>At the same time, leading human rights organizations are looking more closely at promoting <a href="https://www.ihrb.org/focus-areas/built-environment/commentary-linking-climate-human-rights-built-environment-lifecycle" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rights-based approaches</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc5Njg3OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2ODY2ODIxN30.DdMP_t-06f1kheN1d9k2tV6MHLQA_9MyXP9nNjNP-q8/img.jpg?width=980" id="668e9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a60d36e164c6ca1a4fd961adf50569ef" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Not all industries are equal. ourworldindata.org
Fashion
<p>But this isn't the only sector with transformative power. The fashion sector produces <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/" target="_blank">nearly 10% of the world's carbon emissions and is the second largest consumer of the water</a>, all while employing between <a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/industries-and-sectors/textiles-clothing-leather-footwear/lang--ja/index.htm" target="_blank">60 and 70 million</a> workers in garment supply chains.</p><p>While there have been laudable innovations in recent years towards adopting circularity and increasing the use of organic materials, there is still huge potential to promote transformative change in protections for workers.</p><p>Workers in the sector are often left without social protections, exposing them to vulnerability. In recognition of this need, the International Labor Organization, business actors and labor rights leaders have <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---dialogue/documents/statement/wcms_742371.pdf" target="_blank">committed to take</a> action to protect garment workers' income, health and employment, and to work together to establish sustainable systems of social protection for a more just and resilient garment industry.</p><p>This "Call to Action" launched in April 2020 and now needs steady implementation. The effort should seek to cast a wide tent, bringing in other industry players and leveraging development actors as well.</p><p>What's clear from the examples above is that critical, much needed efforts are starting to emerge and that these efforts need to be encouraged and accelerated. As social movements, consumers, investors, regulators and businesses themselves start to realize the value of transforming practices, the momentum will increase for other sectors to follow suit. This domino effect will spur the economic transformation that is so desperately needed to ensure that the environment, and the people who inhabit it, can live in a healthy, just society.</p><p>There can be no doubt: transformation of our economic system is imperative. The moment is now for businesses, and the industries they are part of, to seize it.</p>
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The new rule would allow the U.S. Forest Service to log or manage 2,800 acres of national forest in the Western U.S. PxHere / CC0
The Trump administration has finalized yet another environmental rollback that would allow more logging in national forests without environmental review.
<p><br/></p>
<p>The new rule, finalized Wednesday, would allow the U.S. Forest Service to log or manage 2,800 acres of national forest in the Western U.S. without first conducting an environmental review, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/18/forest-service-wilderness-trump/" target="_blank">The Washington Post explained</a>. However, the rule is written in such a way that nearly 200 million acres of forest could be impacted.</p><p>"This is yet another blatant attempt to undermine bedrock environmental law and public input, while giving companies free rein over our treasured natural resources," <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC) Director of Federal Affairs Kabir Green said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. "Add this rule to the long list of ill-conceived actions the Biden administration is going to have to toss and redo the right way."</p><p>The new rule works by expanding the Forest Service's ability to use "categorical exclusions," The Washington Post reported. These exclusions allow the Forest Service to bypass requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that require it to study the environmental impact of any planned development and share the scientific analysis with the public.</p>
<p>The Trump administration argued that the change would make it easier to perform necessary maintenance.</p><p>"The new categorical exclusions will ultimately improve our ability to maintain and repair the infrastructure people depend on to use and enjoy their national forests — such as roads, trails, campgrounds and other facilities," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/11/18/usda-forest-service-announces-key-changes-nepa-procedures" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p><p>Federal Forest Resource Coalition Executive Director Bill Imbergamo, who supports the change, told The Washington Post that the exclusions could be used to perform the forest maintenance needed to prevent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires" target="_self">wildfires</a>.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> groups worried that the new categorical exclusions would be used to approve activities beyond trailmaking and brush clearing.</p><p><a href="https://www.wilderness.org/" target="_blank">Wilderness Society</a> senior attorney Alison Flint told The Washington Post that the exclusions would act as "permission slips" for loggers and road-builders. Green from the NRDC agreed.</p><p>"Rather than addressing the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> crises we face, the Trump administration continues to make our problems worse," Green said. "Today it's ramming through sweeping changes that will open national forests to large-scale logging, roadbuilding — and even <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil" target="_self">oil</a> drilling and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mining" target="_self">mining</a>. Each of these will exacerbate our climate crisis."</p>
<p>The Trump administration has now initiated or completed 104 environmental rollbacks, according to a running tally from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. It is unclear whether Democrats in Congress will be able to reverse the new Forest Service rule, along with other rules passed in the last days of the Trump administration, The Washington Post reported. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to accept or reject late-term rules, but control of the Senate hinges on two run-off elections in Georgia in January.</p><p>Either way, environmental groups have promised to fight it.</p><p>"The final Forest Service NEPA rule epitomizes the Trump administration's disastrous approach to the environment — it shuts out the public, ignores the science, and delivers favors to special interests, regardless of the harm to forests, water, wildlife and the climate," <a href="https://defenders.org/" target="_blank">Defenders of Wildlife</a> President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark said in statement emailed to EcoWatch. "Our national forests are a national treasure and act as strongholds for endangered species conservation. Defenders of Wildlife will not sit idly by and witness the willful degradation of forest lands."</p>
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the_burtons / Moment / Getty Images
A coalition launched the Zero Emission Transportation Association on Tuesday with plans to push for 100% EV sales across all sectors by 2030.
<p>The coalition of corporate entities that stand to benefit from broader electric vehicle adoption includes Uber, Tesla, utilities like Duke Energy and Southern Company, EV component suppliers, charging companies, and EV startups. </p>
<p>The group's launch came the same day as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to ban the sale of new cars wholly powered by gas and diesel by 2030, a decade earlier than previously planned. On Monday, S&P Global announced Tesla will be added to the S&P 500 Index on December 21.</p><p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><strong>EV group:</strong> <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXgp5nxG7V3Zsc37CgXBWW3PQhT62g346PT5bJ36m2PY_W55Hv7D2YFNpvV331l42w3k5HW4yqPP61l4ByvN7v59ZxT3FR7W6wqBdz20gvNVW3-1xm51BwWM4W8m28Rl2crqHyW3Wpv4f22_t2LW1RLc6n9g0wQ3N9dsKQDXXyr2W4S52vP7h90CmN12CJ7dc4745W5jGWwn53vD78N3lXtrF_q74xW4x_CBp85QmxJW7Z0X14441Z9XW5wWX1844NzzYN1yF261YxYMnW8C4rxj1JxwcrW6M2P7324HxnBW6NvtHh96LpRBVrjrhK30xMncW2JhNCt1w5QRKW4H1cdk800xTgW7KpgmS9cx00rW7nwDV14tb8qvW6bZbjf6r7jDRN1GxMGfZMfSCN8FRKVkWsZFCW7V2jmN93dr3Z3bkJ1" target="_blank">Axios</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXhV3p_9rV1-WJV7CgJngW45CX-p6Qr3LlW19NTjl7KZgr0W2glsv02-vk6YW66pd8k3P8q0tW4qlBJZ409kstW5QCxQn7fBMqhW7jWLRm7yXHhpW93Jp836jjk3SW847mX71xSsmBM-DGQztsGfZW3DkRr87F2ptDW1Ct71D46b-JQW3P2jWc2dBkcdW6jGL8g47NP0qW7_8Dmk3VNhN5W7yZlKv2Wp8l1W911bx53MsL5YVqprGM4pfjllW7yY4Gn45mNJhVPy8C73lS-8fW87Lfhp8QwF97N4y7sfTdytywW8J36gb7ms1QCW1v1txt59cW0QW47w0Vj6rKYb-W4HXHF53-Td6r31N51" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">E&E</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXgJ5nxGrV3Zsc37CgM-pW83sTHh83Hvq_W6M6qGR88_jfMW8d4TLq6Php2rW3flsjC3JQq_BW46yXW26kPV5_W2v1M_h6tLn7sW5RtR1N440Vz5W6J-ZPN3T7pPmW4BWbGh9d1lx3W7xLyT34QBjdmW2dvf1k3VNxgqW2cXhXK6ZDtd0N6ndGNpvwQfTN1zm8F_VQKd1W8zt_Z527yRpNW9b0Bsl2cYrsPW6hF_CG5jYnNdW5pr8fY5TrgDgW5-bWNN8shHgTW4WqwJW3W9hVbW5VPP4H2Ysph9W4x1-BT40T3VXW6zbcRd5-bCSFV3LFBG4TxJV0W1Y6GC63n-zX0W2NVMtc3ZNVM9N58MPlrN2NfsW1_thw_8ttt77W6pB9Db7Xg_tMW5-wZpd3T2bKSW1Qz9m_20JfJyW40w1S-3npqBMW6TWcQZ4CRymwW6lnZr-40zjlj3kb61" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Politico Pro</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXgJ5nxGrV3Zsc37CgQwhN5DgsdqCC2PKW5rDGPf9hmwb9W5J_rZ65gSTNnVN7W1X3L-blJW4HnPqY8Ps5tsVfHYHZ7G8Dk2W8nXF0W8KB_9_W5DfNJM5Zyj7CN5nXJPvGyBp-W63Wf8_7j51mNW42nNKF5bZJx_W78hQ078Syz17W5HZ-7s2V0dDZW7l19V01plfyQW6-dgBw9bH12lW33Jz_b4b8PsSW9lR-Xk2XZNh1W5s3bqT8ymwLMN55gJ6myl9MvW3j4l9M8GgwQ3Mc3nLM1p2VMW2SFd6R5Qcvy7N70TJJ87GVXQW2tNvrD1pJM5DW8NvGrc1cCrc0VS4syJ1K4qSqW5ntdhS2mPZmCW2cZFC25s3r0FW2G5BcR3Hlf8lW3Zd0kZ6W_912W2_5mmD5lfvXwW4-c6mZ11QYLvW31nDSW7jGN-TN3qbQJCDX8VY31Xh1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Houston Chronicle</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXhB3p_97V1-WJV7CgCMRW8nL-3Z7GYCBkW5KKps13ZtRZ6VYMz8C2Rsb13N3_5sJwjLZHvW7TvWPH4KGt-4W842tcQ3Htdt8W6gbzfS4t_hmdW21wx6y91lZnMN3bxydwdN9r6W508zF-99KwYdW17FTvb22SGWMW3FMHjv82h6QdW2GQtzh2tTsmZW6gL8NZ3XJTRHW1-NJ4_6VCXB0W5p7vhG9c3YglW29J4Jv7mXM_1W7N508H5gKq6wW4WZTnY4FMXSJW86lqd12xW8P1W3hLB638GRylNW7Cb6S35J3jYvW8CLHL_3xZQqKN4j875wc-9WW3m-j1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXgp5nxG7V3Zsc37CgThVVMps_L2BQ_NBW1CW7H-1l5RJcW4j0_qy1c1TsKW3HjF742QFf1QW1m_rmm4JCfC-N97Gpy4r-HndW6kzhZf8PyhKQW3TYw6p5lXQKWW1djQVq1qbdPTW7sftHv3r-jj-W8Hzqsx2TYr9VW7SK9H_4-bX9FW28LXWw642DNTW4T4rtK7nHnJHW4Vrmf93H8GbMW4xMKyf3YR1wSW50LrQd4sYFrPW72sCs-6tMwhxW1bR-513sR-kFW792Lpl3Tf5VpW1ltZhs7s3r4gW7qQ52y5W85xLF8x9XN2pfp7W5vZ8MS7JlRpHW8WbkPd6t57DLVqrzjV26JYvyN8Y-h2YvVS0FW15-4kb6TrWdXW5YccjT5nB4rMW5bNVHN8VKgC_W5_x45F81S0hKW5Lv2Xn3hgQ4g390f1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Atlantic</a></p><p><strong>UK: </strong><a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXgp5nxG7V3Zsc37Cgz_gW75kvCy5845MkW3bn8GW7hf6w5VqhNRd3bm5RsW1kXmMm4GqNnkW6zKB-g2WSPgJW63t90L4FQwDkW5MnnYc5gw3DhW8KhvHP18km2rW12dTWT60DGNWTKWBf7btb9zW7QHM_c3wb8xkVxhk8s5YqRwtW8N85LP3hFJNFW41qWZM740WtDW7cQXVY2j8K03W8tYnlc970mFMW8c3Sjb8TBM12W6w1_DH4R5J_YW7XvbQD2mbsvxW2GGVC24pzGtBN3KFmcVS7m9wW4qVtP97Vkys5W3RXmc81wL11xW7R_PKS5gjGBCW683c3z4f2ssSW7Xl6fG3KSThFW2pPsQC6c8LYcN3BYqfWmkv81N2RqgtZ-PnKkW6gHKnh4HbRRdW4kQpdB60JJ93W7cSNd54QBw1R3dnv1" target="_blank">AP</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXhV3p_9rV1-WJV7CgMk4W7-BB4W5fGTj-N1Q8rQ6r1whlW4pg9Z-79LTl1N8mb3Bf40dPlW6DpsKP2yrvbgW8QJQm_23f2YKV4DRzn1q4Dc2V7vhRC2HrBtxW2tYRPJ2ctKkDW6ClJm392cFNWW7D6kWb3rWPg2W8CSNRQ8RkxlWW2vChcC6RhTx-Vw6JWF8prLwhW7l-brW1XydqHW1TkMq02vFrYYV935Kr5Lm3YyW8D2JhX5BmkK7VYxFsD1TLsnHW6cs0K084G4M1N6S162FfH9-qV1qTLB8J0tyRW237wqY5X5lR_W4c9_RR6KDfyWW64fwq27p9Lx8W1v5jRx1cfKfC3qsb1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BBC</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXhh5nxH1V3Zsc37CgNNBW4RRbTC6V0HfZW2dS9lK8qb4s4W5QJldS7JPHPTW92pY6t2DHQFtW6Sx6m47XmbDXW3sJ2s83_hZFwN1ptJ_FFXJRpW4KdhF443TXVsW2zkdhZ2CgXm4W99fYnv3-hl3-W9jZBPs6h8qSCW1fbZNH756STnW8rG3VX7jWCCtW2r_v0N21QFd7W8LhzqB3WcXlLW4BFBpX4bSBX8W2cgnbX5ZQQygW5Wyb8c1ZKYm9W7k15fG1CHy5DW5ZC5dw7f_CSSW5Q339s3Ljhb3W2sXCQ548MQS-N3zfTfw8ggQkW2_FbDC2vkBCGW7NTr7D8Jt1tWN7JS0rk9TKJZW5LZ7jm7LjjHBW1b_6GL2zGgFxW6-JJx97mFG4lN7wrsDc_6HKtW6WbNt44XHy9LVLtFNP29h8YvW663DML96Dm1FW7DG0gq6b-3VrN6C6jgDJf_mwW4Kck011JdmShW3m3Hsc1ynr0bW52dzK72NFB_M3cx-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>; </p><p><strong>Tesla:</strong> <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXhV3p_9rV1-WJV7CgMsjW5rlXFG5q_P9TW7q7H2d5WL55LW9l8YRl2fL2l7W2_b3Xx5PwxZzN6LMpDnDgSbFW53cZBY3bLhWhW8GGg3Q7xRnw_W7qyFzJ3r0dzvW8PvXYL5kQv8vW2MbS_34jr5KCW6rMnld7tB6m4W5mml_372m5T8W8JKpKY4Q09NLW3QWMMp41txyDW1KSkrj7xT5t3MH6f4l_tBcQW5pv-VL8KR1bcW61jFBX15vPW-W4cqR2j4GWn0sV6BkJV1tH5y6W7TTWQv2ZrYZ-W7Vm7sB4lMvdTW7QFtTG2TBgqsW99YDb64BVywBW4DqdlX8QrSgPW5lRzTf7ZJK3c37b01" target="_blank">CNN</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXj93p_9LV1-WJV7CgzMFW7SXpjX9hwbFFW6cfp4R1Jr9cSVYzmfg6bpgSjW5t__B-6mZpgbW6wRmnS8jX9c0W40jYph3FHB6SW4cjWpQ1B_v3vW4jZJX-8vvjBKW3PHKrV5qKGFFW3DzHhP8rbHM3N1j4crS71LSqW2GP3_W3F8R6_N9fWh80FL1HfW8d2JfV6k_9MtW45PLXv1-0DQ3W5VbG-g8DQ6R6W1BVc2P119ffdW965c4V4sCpslW5x3W8K6BgPrXW1CGJb61B1yp5W86Hs_p5vhTJzW4sVgf73c7qxQW8-5WZT79y8-yW4yGJ6g8tS0QMW4jqk_42sLRtHW6KXy_36-mC_LW9lp9Y86GLfLZF2PzMXzr7pt3b661" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXhV3p_9rV1-WJV7CgHJ5W67RW3D7z0FHnN4bvQHgF2m_9W5CHYRd32K5QLW8kRTCT1nQ-6KVKpVlc7n8hsRW7SDLMq3G4DlpVBds0k5zBWlRW7pSGmd3Zr9g8W45Vl2x5SMCvPW151tqw6JW6KcW8BsGbb5cZKMFW3NKgtw7qG--9W75WRlz2SwNpCW6zYb9P7KnvJZW7h4cP052jPFmW233VTz20plxSW1Q_wzs5y6mxJW6HN_Bf8hrKP_W6K3W2M4TM9d4W4_qYbk4jrfP4W4R8YYq8KqLzFW54PhR04ygNbrW7pFgS15wKpfHW772clR7ByP3QW6RynMD2BWGWHW7rCHLt8xZ8MJ34lr1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FT</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXgp5nxG7V3Zsc37CgYh7W4Sx2T_5H2tmgW93CdTT5h_qQ5W8scbBt5-MvTYW70FRn669f_QhW2GTkgZ8tnW2sW59Fx0j4w5jX1W8bBVyj1T4qL3W12-gBN3bsJctW5lsglx4tpM2GW6V33qp7ThtCcW74-H_96395jGW4xx2156gmpwXW13Fv8z5wjS4ZVvglmd30Q-ydW7q3ftV1_6cZhW5Q00sg4mbfQHW1mc-L94mGqHkMby3myZSSrzW1C80pf8v00xqW6Zz4x941nDkQV1j1-h84LvygW6CD8dr5VBKv2W8twMWY3pRp3jW72qkqk1vRVVJW4MXrBb32k-BdN4M8HJtvXp8hW6-tYf79879KYW8NYkmx7y103hW3T3chk6HfyqNVQRh7Y3Wy6P4W4hnhBT87S6gkW6xVN4n19VwD236gx1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVTg4R760tGCW7Xn6DW2DsKp7V_gMC14jyjYJN56dXgp5nxG7V3Zsc37CgN59W6TD79t8h1HJvW6xsj-Y3k9XVqVpmdsL8ZwrS4N6wTrDnrCZz0W94BXyP97lSrgW12pCbb583ffyN1_57cG1SJR_VXCxpR8d98xnW67nrb385G2_tW72pZpn8plZ1qW33cXzz3kv7LKW57J2z57xHQTmW6HYL8v50PT_XW679rfJ63Q2M9W5vx_2X81ZGkzW1rhcGG1Vv1HyW5ckMNG3fw5qTW8xwvKX61vf_nVxQbg_9dkDXrW8_nJSZ6zjXHFW1dVJlQ684vclW90ntr26ghplCW6wgXm82QcydfW2WtPHs6_QdMmN20yksyCkJkNW7GCn2-4SCx66W8TWy737LcWmYW6m7fsD1S8nS4W2LBJ6x2SYf75N9jb8BTzTf93W5C94J77Vs36RW1z-3p11Jttj63cDv1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank" rel="noopener 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Activists Are Alarmed as Biden Picks White House Official Who Took Fossil Fuel Money
18 November
Politics
President-elect Joe Biden is greeted by U.S. Congressman Cedric Richmond, D-LA, as he arrives in Columbus, Georgia, on October 27, 2020. Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden is starting to assemble his White House team, and one of his picks has already alarmed climate activists.
<p>Biden has chosen Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond as a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/cedric-richmond-biden.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported Tuesday</a>. As part of his role, Richmond will reportedly serve as a liaison between climate activists and business interests, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/16/louisiana-congressman-to-join-biden-administration-436903" target="_blank">POLITICO</a>. However, <a href="https://www.dailyposter.com/p/news-bidens-first-climate-appointment" target="_blank">The Daily Poster</a> noted that Richmond has received $341,000 in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> money during his 10 years in Congress.</p><p>"[T]oday feels like a betrayal, because one of President-elect Biden's very first hires for his new administration has taken more donations from the fossil fuel industry during his congressional career than nearly any other Democrat, cozied up to Big Oil and Gas, and stayed silent and ignored meeting with organizations in his own community while they suffered from toxic pollution and sea-level rise," <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/?ms=SunriseMovement" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> Executive Director Varshini Prakash said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/17/today-feels-betrayal-sunrise-movement-blasts-biden-pick-big-oil-backed-cedric" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Common Dreams</a>. "That's a mistake, and it's an affront to young people who made President-elect Biden's victory possible."</p><p>The Sunrise Movement made contact with 3.5 million young voters in swing states, and now wants to leverage its get-out-the-vote efforts to hold Biden accountable to his promise to act on the climate crisis, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/16/joe-biden-climate-crisis-ennvironment-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian reported Monday</a>. Biden has called climate an "existential threat" and promised a $2 trillion plan to create millions of jobs while transitioning to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a>. Since winning the election, Biden has also made climate change a priority on his <a href="https://buildbackbetter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">transition website</a>.</p>
<p>However, Richmond's appointment concerned activists who are worried it signals that fossil fuel interests will have an outsized say in Biden's administration.</p><p>"If Joe Biden continues making corporate-friendly appointments to his White House, he will risk quickly fracturing the hard-earned goodwill his team built with progressives to defeat Donald Trump," Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas said in a statement, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-16/cedric-richmond-to-leave-congress-join-biden-white-house?sref=PqmVp1JY" target="_blank">Bloomberg News</a> reported.</p><p>Richmond, who represents much of New Orleans, has received the fifth highest amount of money from the oil and gas industry of all House Democrats, according to The Daily Poster. That includes $40,000 from ExxonMobil and $10,000 each from Chevron, Phillips 66 and Valero Energy.</p>
<p>Richmond has also broken with the Democratic Party to support increased fossil fuel exports and oppose pollution restrictions on fracking. Further, he voted in favor of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/526405-progressive-group-slams-biden-white-house-pick-over-fossil-fuels" target="_blank">The Hill reported</a>.</p><p>Rep. A. <a href="https://thehill.com/people/aston-donale-mceachin" target="_blank">Donald McEachin</a> (D-Va.) defended Richmond's actions, arguing that he had been trying to preserve jobs for his constituents.</p><p>"That's the tragedy that Americans up to now have been faced with, that it's either fossil fuel jobs or bad-paying jobs. His district has been dependent on fossil fuels," McEachin told The Hill.</p><p>However, New Orleans and Louisiana have also disproportionately suffered from the impacts of the fossil fuel industry. Richmond represents seven of the 10 U.S. census tracts with the worst <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_self">air pollution</a>, The Daily Poster reported. And <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricanes" target="_self">hurricanes</a> like Katrina have <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-hurricanes-wetter-2619851055.html" target="_self">become more extreme</a> because of climate change.</p><p>In response to activist criticism, the Biden-Harris transition team reaffirmed its commitment to climate action.</p><p>"The incoming White House staff members are committed to building an administration that will tackle the climate crisis and fight for environmental justice," an official told The Hill.</p>
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47 faith institutions from 21 countries have announced they would divest from fossil fuels. acilo / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
Climate action campaigners applauded Monday after 47 faith institutions from 21 countries announced they would divest from fossil fuels, marking the largest-ever joint divestment by religious leaders in history.
<p>Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, gave credit to campaigners in the fossil fuel divestment movement, who in recent years have pressured banks, universities, and other entities to cut financial ties with the fossil fuel sector in an effort to help mitigate the planetary emergency.</p>
<div id="9fc4f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="01a8829cd51fcdca1a5618e4a8da75bd"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1328331527726501889" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Huge news: 47 major faith institutions from 21 countries divest from fossil fuels!! This wave keeps building! Thank… https://t.co/iZ83l2Tjlt</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1328331527726501889">1605533890.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"While government leaders cling to the economic models of yesterday, faith leaders are looking ahead to the energy future we share," said 350.org, noting that the G20 summit is set to begin this coming weekend under Saudi Arabia's leadership, two months after G20 energy ministers<a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/09/29/saudi-led-g20-energy-statement-backs-fossil-fuel-bailouts/" target="_blank"> released a statement </a>rubber-stamping fossil fuel bailouts amid the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p>"With renewables now growing at a faster pace than fossil fuels," the group noted, "institutional investors are increasingly moving toward sustainable investments in the clean energy economy. Faith investors help lead this movement, constituting the single-largest source of divestment in the world, making up one-third of all commitments. To date, nearly 400 religious institutions have committed to divest."</p><p>The institutions which <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/11/16/faith-institutions-announce-largest-ever-joint-divestment-fossil-fuels?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">announced </a>their divestment <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TQe-U42Y6yftFWCJJLihVHqfJ-nK3Ov1M5IRrPxi4EE/edit#gid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">include</a> the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, Irish religious order the Sisters of Our Lady Apostles, the American Jewish World Service, and the Claretian Missionaries in Sri Lanka. Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish organizations joined the coalition. </p>
<div id="65fa5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87e1e1f1aeaf53fe7349a848b7370c50"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1328246546580852737" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Catholics, Protestants, and Jewish people unite for a better future. Today, 47 faith institutions from 21 countries… https://t.co/ITVio1uKpK</div> — 350 dot org (@350 dot org)<a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/1328246546580852737">1605513628.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"Today's announcement demonstrates that people of many faith traditions are committed to a better future in clean energy," 350.org said in a<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/11/16/faith-institutions-announce-largest-ever-joint-divestment-fossil-fuels?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank"> statement, </a>noting that under Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has gone to new lengths to end its own participation in the polluting of the Earth.</p><p>The Pope is convening an "Economy of Francesco" conference <a href="https://francescoeconomy.org/" target="_blank">beginning</a> on Thursday, at which leaders and young climate action campaigners will discuss ways for the Church to help develop a sustainable world economy. </p><p>"The economic power of faiths, turned to responsible investments and the green economy, can be a major driver of positive change, and an inspiration to others, as we rebuild better," said Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program and under secretary-general of the United Nations.</p>
<p>The American Jewish World Service said it had decided to divest from fossil fuels earlier this year.</p><p>The decision allows the organization, CEO Robert Bank said, to "align fully how we invest our funds with our global grantmaking to combat climate change and secure climate justice for the most vulnerable people in the world, ensuring that we live our Jewish values and take up our enduring commitment to repair our broken world."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/16/huge-news-nearly-four-dozen-faith-institutions-announce-divestment-fossil-fuels?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Michigan Governor Moves to Prevent Great Lakes Oil Spill by Shutting Down Aging Pipeline
16 November
Energy
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Celebrates Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week, on Aug. 14, 2020. Michigan EGLE / YouTube
Enbridge's aging Line 5 pipeline may finally be forced into retirement.
<p>Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger informed Enbridge Friday that they were revoking the Canadian company's easement to run twin <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipelines" target="_self">pipelines</a> under the Straits of Mackinac, which divide Lakes Michigan and Huron, the <a href="https://eu.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/11/13/whitmer-revoke-enbridge-line-5-oil-pipeline-easement/6277027002/" target="_blank">Detroit Free Press reported</a>.</p><p>"Here in Michigan, the Great Lakes define our borders, but they also define who we are as people," Whitmer said in a statement reported by the Detroit Free Press. "Enbridge has routinely refused to take action to protect our Great Lakes and the millions of Americans who depend on them for clean <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" target="_self">drinking water</a> and good jobs."</p><p>The Line 5 pipeline has carried <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> beneath the Straits since 1953, when it was granted an easement to do so by the state of Michigan. It currently carries 23 million gallons of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas" target="_self">oil and gas</a> each day through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, splits in two to transport it beneath the lakes and then carries it in another single pipeline through the Lower Peninsula into Ontario.</p>
<p>Whitmer argued that Enbridge had violated the terms of the easement by ignoring structural problems that increased the risk of a devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-spill" target="_self">oil spill</a> in the Lakes. For example, Enbridge was aware that a section of the underwater coating on the twin pipelines was damaged in 2014 but did not inform the state for three years. Whitmer is giving the company until May of 2021 to cease operations in the Straits.</p><p>At the same time, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a complaint in Ingham County Circuit Court asking the judge to uphold the governor's action, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/11/enbridge-line-5-ordered-shut-down-by-michigan-gov-whitmer.html" target="_blank">Michigan Live reported</a>.</p><p>Whitmer contends that the pipelines violate the "public trust" doctrine, which entrusts Michigan with protecting the bottom of the Great Lakes for its residents.</p>
<p>"Transporting millions of gallons of petroleum products each day through two 67-year old pipelines that lie exposed in the Straits below uniquely vulnerable and busy shipping lanes presents an extraordinary, unreasonable threat to public rights because of the very real risk of further anchor strikes and other external impacts to the Pipelines, the inherent risks of pipeline operations, and the foreseeable, catastrophic effects if an oil spill occurs at the Straits," the notice she sent to the company read.<br></p><p>Enbridge, however, countered that the pipelines remained safe.</p><p>"This notice and the report from Michigan Department of Natural Resources are a distraction from the fundamental facts," Enbridge Liquids Pipelines Executive Vice President and President Vern Yu said in a statement reported by Michigan Live.</p><p>Alberta Premier Jason Kenney also opposed the move.</p><p>"The impact of this would be devastating," Kenney said, as <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7464389/enbridge-line-5-pipeline-michigan/" target="_blank">Global News reported</a>. "It is the single largest supply of gasoline ultimately in southern Ontario, for aviation fuel out of the Detroit airport, for heating fuel in northern Michigan, for the refineries in northern Ohio that fuel much of the midwest U.S. economy, so this is a very very big deal."</p>
<p>However, environmental groups, who have long raised alarms about the pipeline, praised Whitmer's decision.</p><p>"Line 5 should have never been built in the first place," Mike Shriberg, regional executive director of the <a href="https://www.nwf.org/great-lakes" target="_blank">National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Regional Center</a>, told the Detroit Free Press. "Gov. Whitmer is now bravely, and correctly, standing up for the Great Lakes. This is a legacy-defining action by the governor. She is standing on the side not only of clean water, but clean energy and the jobs that go along with the transition to a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable energy</a> economy."</p><p>The National Wildlife Federation <a href="https://blog.nwf.org/2020/11/a-win-a-decade-in-the-making-governor-whitmer-moves-to-shut-down-line-5/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">noted</a> that another Enbridge pipeline was responsible in 2010 for one of the worst inland oil spills in U.S. history, when its Line 6b spilled more than one million gallons of tar sands into 40 miles of the Kalamazoo River.</p>
<p>Whitmer's action will not immediately affect <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/enbridge-line-5-replacement-2609955963.html" target="_self">plans to replace</a> Line 5 with a new pipeline to be installed in a tunnel drilled into the bedrock beneath the Straits, according to Global News. The deal to build the replacement was struck between Enbridge and Whitmer's predecessor Republican Rick Snyder. However, Enbridge is still in the process of seeking state and federal permits for the project.</p><p>Environmental groups oppose the replacement as well, arguing that the Great Lakes would be vulnerable to spills during the seven to 10 year construction process and that there are better ways to meet Michigan's energy needs. Now, Shriberg argued that Whitmer's shutdown of the existing pipelines would bolster the case of those who oppose their replacement.</p><p>"Enbridge could still go ahead with their current tunnel proposal, but it's going to be much harder to prove to regulators there's a need if Line 5 is already shut down," he told the Detroit Free Press.</p>
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Secondhand Clothing Sales Are Booming – and May Help Solve the Sustainability Crisis in the Fashion Industry
16 November
Business
According to a new report, the U.S. secondhand clothing market is projected to more than triple in value in the next 10 years. yoshiurara / Getty Images
By Hyejune Park and Cosette Marie Joyner Armstrong
A massive force is reshaping the fashion industry: secondhand clothing. According to a new report, the U.S. secondhand clothing market is projected to more than triple in value in the next 10 years – from US$28 billion in 2019 to US$80 billion in 2029 – in a U.S. market currently worth $379 billion. In 2019, secondhand clothing expanded 21 times faster than conventional apparel retail did.
<p>Even more transformative is secondhand clothing's potential to dramatically alter the prominence of fast fashion – a business model <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion" target="_blank">characterized by cheap and disposable clothing</a> that emerged in the early 2000s, epitomized by brands like H&M and Zara. Fast fashion grew exponentially over the next two decades, significantly altering the fashion landscape by producing more clothing, distributing it faster and encouraging consumers to buy in excess with low prices.</p><p>While fast fashion is expected to <a href="https://www.thredup.com/resale/" target="_blank">continue to grow 20% in the next 10 years</a>, <a href="https://www.thredup.com/resale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">secondhand fashion is poised to grow 185%</a>.</p><p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=IoRKq14AAAAJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">As researchers</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IasJfmIAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">who study</a> clothing consumption and sustainability, we think the secondhand clothing trend has the potential to reshape the fashion industry and mitigate the industry's detrimental environmental impact on the planet.</p>
The Next Big Thing
<p>The secondhand clothing market is composed of two major categories, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2019.1684831" target="_blank">thrift stores and resale platforms</a>. But it's the latter that has largely fueled the recent boom. Secondhand clothing has long been perceived as worn out and tainted, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0959396032000101372" target="_blank">mainly sought by bargain or treasure hunters</a>. However, this perception has changed, and now many consumers consider secondhand clothing to be of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2019.1576060" target="_blank">identical or even superior quality</a> to unworn clothing. A <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/a31085526/how-to-sell-clothes/" target="_blank">trend of "fashion flipping"</a> – or buying secondhand clothes and reselling them – has also emerged, particularly among young consumers.</p><p>Thanks to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2017.1346714" target="_blank">growing consumer demand and new digital platforms</a> like Tradesy and Poshmark that facilitate peer-to-peer exchange of everyday clothing, the digital resale market is quickly becoming the next big thing in the fashion industry.</p><p>The market for secondhand luxury goods is also substantial. Retailers like The RealReal or the Vestiaire Collective provide a digital marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment, where people buy and sell designer labels such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès. The market value of this sector <a href="https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2020/3/the-rise-of-pre-owned-luxury-fashion-marks-shift-amid-sustainability-movement" target="_blank">reached $2 billion in 2019</a>.</p><p>The secondhand clothing trend also appears to be driven by affordability, <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/covid-19-propels-an-already-surging-secondhand-clothing-market-2020-06-23" target="_blank">especially now, during the COVID-19 economic crisis</a>. Consumers have not only <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/economy/spotlight/economics-insights-analysis.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reduced their consumption of nonessential items like clothing</a>, but are buying <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Retail/Our%20Insights/The%20State%20of%20Fashion%202019%20A%20year%20of%20awakening/The-State-of-Fashion-2019-final.ashx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more quality garments</a> over cheap, disposable attire.</p><p>For clothing resellers, the ongoing economic contraction combined with the increased interest in sustainability has proven to be <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/covid-19-propels-an-already-surging-secondhand-clothing-market-2020-06-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a winning combination</a>.</p>More Mindful Consumers?
<p>The fashion industry has long been associated with <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social and environmental problems</a>, ranging from poor treatment of garment workers to pollution and waste generated by clothing production.</p><p>Less than 1% of materials used to make clothing are currently recycled to make new clothing, a <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future" target="_blank">$500 billion annual loss for the fashion industry</a>. The textile industry produces <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion" target="_blank">more carbon emissions than the airline and maritime industries combined</a>. And approximately <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion" target="_blank">20% of water pollution across the globe</a> is the result of wastewater from the production and finishing of textiles.</p><p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/solitairetownsend/2018/11/21/consumers-want-you-to-help-them-make-a-difference/#efe999c69547" target="_blank">Consumers have become more aware</a> of the ecological impact of apparel production and are more frequently demanding apparel businesses <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2020/05/10/coronavirus-will-force-fashion-to-a-sustainable-future/#6973567f5292" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expand their commitment to sustainability</a>. Buying secondhand clothing could provide consumers a way to push back against the fast-fashion system.</p><p>Buying secondhand clothing increases the number of owners an item will have, extending its life – something that has been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12354" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dramatically shortened in the age of fast fashion</a>. (Worldwide, in the past 15 years, <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the average number of times a garment is worn before it's trashed</a> has decreased by 36%.)</p><p>High-quality clothing traded in the secondhand marketplace also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12354" target="_blank">retains its value over time</a>, unlike cheaper fast-fashion products. Thus, buying a high-quality secondhand garment instead of a new one is theoretically an environmental win. But some critics argue the secondhand marketplace actually <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/is-resale-actually-good-for-the-planet" target="_blank">encourages excess consumption by expanding access to cheap clothing</a>.</p><p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.20900/jsr20200017" target="_blank">latest research supports this possibility</a>. We interviewed young American women who regularly use digital platforms like Poshmark. They saw secondhand clothing as a way to access both cheap goods and ones they ordinarily could not afford. They did not see it as an alternative model of consumption or a way to decrease dependence on new clothing production.</p><p>Whatever the consumer motive, increasing the reuse of clothing is a big step toward a new normal in the fashion industry, though its potential to address sustainability woes remains to be seen.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hyejune-park-1168814" target="_blank">Hyejune Park</a> is an </em><em>Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising, Oklahoma State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cosette-marie-joyner-armstrong-1168817" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cosette Marie Joyner Armstrong</a> is an </em><em>Associate Professor of Fashion Merchandising, Oklahoma State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/secondhand-clothing-sales-are-booming-and-may-help-solve-the-sustainability-crisis-in-the-fashion-industry-148403" target="_blank">The Conversation.</a></em>
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