33 Healthy Office Snacks to Keep You Energized and Productive

Having nutritious snacks to eat during the workday can help you stay energized and productive.
Still, coming up with ideas for snacks that are easy to prep, healthy, and portable can be difficult.
Here are 33 simple and healthy snacks for work.
1. Nuts and Dried Fruit
Nuts and dried fruit make for a healthy, non-perishable snack mix.
This filling combo has a good balance of all three macronutrients, with healthy fats and protein from nuts and carbs from dried fruit. What's more, both foods are loaded with fiber that can help keep you full between meals (1, 2 Trusted Source).
2. Bell Peppers and Guacamole
Guacamole is a delicious dip typically made from avocados, lime, onion, and cilantro. It goes great with bell pepper slices or other raw veggies.
Plus, avocados are high in monounsaturated fats that have been shown to support healthy blood cholesterol levels and heart health (3, 4 Trusted Source).
3. Brown Rice Cakes and Avocado
Brown rice cakes are an excellent, shelf-stable snack for the office. One brown rice cake (19 grams) provides 14 grams of carbs and 4% of the Daily Value (DV) for fiber for only 60 calories (5).
Avocados are high in healthy fats and fiber. Slicing or spreading the mashed fruit on a rice cake makes for a very satisfying snack (3, 6 Trusted Source).
Be sure to look for rice cakes that are made with only rice and salt and don't have unnecessary ingredients.
4. Roasted Chickpeas
Roasted chickpeas are a non-perishable snack that's high in protein, fiber, and several vitamins and minerals.
A 1/2 cup (125 grams) of chickpeas has 5 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein. What's more, they contain most of the amino acids your body needs, so their protein is considered to be of higher quality than that of other legumes (7, 8 Trusted Source).
Research has shown that eating legumes with high-quality protein can help improve feelings of fullness and may aid weight loss (9 Trusted Source).
To make roasted chickpeas, drain a can of chickpeas and pat dry. Toss them in olive oil, sea salt, and seasonings of your choice, and bake on a lined baking sheet at 350℉ (180℃) for 40 minutes.
5. Tuna Pouches
Vacuum-sealed tuna pouches are convenient snacks that don't need to be drained and can be stored and eaten at work.
Tuna is loaded with filling protein and omega-3 fatty acids that are known to fight inflammation and may decrease your risk of heart disease (10, 11 Trusted Source).
Tuna pouches are widely available in stores and online. Look for varieties that contain light skipjack tuna, which is lower in mercury than other types.
6. Apples and Peanut Butter
Apple slices with natural peanut butter make for a delicious, satisfying snack.
Peanut butter contributes protein and healthy fats, while apples are high in fiber and water, making them particularly filling. In fact, 1 medium apple (182 grams) is over 85% water and has more than 4 grams of fiber (12).
7. Jerky
Jerky is a shelf-stable, high-protein snack that can satisfy your hunger during the workday.
One ounce (28 grams) of beef jerky has 8 grams of protein for only 70 calories. What's more, it's rich in iron, an important mineral for maintaining blood health and energy levels (13, 14 Trusted Source).
Look for jerky that is uncured, low in sodium, and made from few ingredients. You can also find turkey, chicken, and salmon jerky if you don't eat red meat.
8. Homemade Granola
Granola keeps well in your desk drawer for a quick snack.
As most store-bought varieties are high in added sugars and contain unhealthy vegetable oils that may increase inflammation in your body, it's best to make your own (15 Trusted Source).
Simply combine rolled oats, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and cashews in a mixture of melted coconut oil and honey, spread the mix out on a lined baking sheet, and bake for about 40 minutes at low heat.
This combination is wholesome, balanced, and rich in complex carbs, fiber, and healthy fats. Plus, the soluble fiber in oats may help lower cholesterol levels and improve heart health (16 Trusted Source).
9. Greek Yogurt
Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt is a convenient work snack that's higher in protein than regular yogurt.
A 6-ounce (170-gram) container of plain, low-fat Greek yogurt has 17 grams of protein for only 140 calories. Plus, it's loaded with calcium, a mineral that's important for strong bones and teeth (17, 18 Trusted Source).
To make this treat even more tasty and filling, add healthy fruit and nuts.
10. Edamame
Edamame are immature soybeans that can be enjoyed steamed, cooked, or dried.
They're loaded with high-quality, plant-based protein. In fact, studies show that the protein in soy is just as satisfying as beef protein and may aid appetite control and weight loss (19 Trusted Source, 20 Trusted Source).
11. Popcorn
Popcorn is a nutritious and satisfying snack for work that's high in fiber and low in calories. Two cups (16 grams) of air-popped popcorn provide 62 calories, 12 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and several vitamins and minerals (21).
What's more, it contains antioxidants called polyphenols that may help protect against chronic conditions, such as heart disease (22 Trusted Source, 23 Trusted Source).
12. Cottage Cheese and Fruit
Protein-rich cottage cheese and fruit is a healthy snack that's perfect for work. It's low in calories but loaded with nutrients. A 1/2 cup (113 grams) of low-fat cottage cheese has 12 grams of protein and 10% of the DV for calcium for only 80 calories (24).
You can bring pre-portioned servings of cottage cheese to work and top it with a fruit, such as sliced berries, and a healthy fat source like pumpkin seeds.
13. Baked Veggie Chip
Baked or dehydrated veggie chips are a wholesome, shelf-stable snack. However, some store-bought varieties are made with vegetable oils, such as canola or soybean oil, and contain unnecessary additives.
Making your own veggie chips allows you to control the ingredients you use.
Thinly slice sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, zucchini, or radishes and brush them with a small amount of olive oil. Bake on a lined baking sheet at 225℉ (110℃) for approximately 2 hours.
14. Ants on a Log
Ants on a log are a healthy snack made with celery sticks, peanut butter, and raisins. They contain healthy fats, protein, and slow-burning carbs and fiber that can provide a boost of energy for your workday (25, 26, 27).
What's more, celery is mostly water, which makes it particularly filling for a low-calorie food (25).
15. Homemade Energy Balls
Energy balls are typically made from oats, nut butter, a sweetener, and other add-ins like dried fruit and coconut.
Depending on the ingredients, they're high in fiber, healthy fats, protein, and several vitamins and minerals (26, 28, 29).
To make your own, combine 1 cup (80 grams) of rolled oats with 1/2 cup (128 grams) of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons (14 grams) of ground flax seeds, 1/4 cup (85 grams) of honey, and 1/4 cup (45 grams) of dark chocolate chips.
Roll spoonfuls of the mix into bite-sized balls and enjoy as a treat throughout your workday.
You can find many other energy ball recipes online or in specialized books.
16. Oatmeal Packets
Keeping plain, unsweetened oatmeal packets on hand at work is a great way to stay prepared with healthy snacks.
Plain oatmeal is high in energizing carbs and soluble fiber, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels and improve heart health (16 Trusted Source, 30).
17. Carrots and Hummus
Hummus is a delicious dip made from chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice that goes great with carrots.
Hummus contains fiber, protein, and healthy fats, while carrots are loaded with beta carotene, a precursor for vitamin A in your body (31, 32 Trusted Source).
Eating foods with beta carotene can help boost immunity and promote optimal vision and eye health (33).
18. Dark-Chocolate-Covered Nuts
Dark-chocolate-covered nuts are a nutritious, sweet treat that you can enjoy at the office.
In particular, dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants that can fight molecules called free radicals that damage cells and are linked to various chronic diseases (34 Trusted Source).
Plus, nuts contribute protein and healthy fats that can help fill you up (35).
Look for brands that don't contain added sugars and use dark chocolate with at least 50% total cocoa content, as it has more antioxidants than other varieties (34 Trusted Source).
19. Reheatable Egg Muffins
Egg muffins made from beaten eggs, veggies, and cheese are a healthy, on-the-go food.
Eggs are loaded with high-quality protein and many vitamins and minerals. In fact, 1 egg provides over 20% of the DV for choline, a critical nutrient for your brain (36, 37 Trusted Source).
To make your own egg muffins, combine beaten raw eggs with chopped veggies and shredded cheese. Pour the mixture into greased muffin tins and bake at 375℉ (190℃) for 15–20 minutes.
To reheat an egg muffin at work, place it in the microwave for 60–90 seconds or until it's warmed through.
20. Clementines and Almonds
Clementines and almonds are two healthy foods that you can easily eat at work for a mid-afternoon snack.
Together they provide a good balance of fiber, protein, and healthy fats that can help keep you full longer than a clementine alone (38, 39).
What's more, 1 clementine (74 grams) has close to 60% of the DV for vitamin C, an important vitamin for connective tissue, wound healing, and immunity (39, 40).
21. String Cheese
String cheese is a convenient snack full of beneficial nutrients.
One string cheese (28 grams) has 80 calories, 6 grams of protein, and 15% of the DV for calcium. Eating low-calorie foods that are high in protein can help fill you up, decrease overall calorie intake, and aid weight loss (41, 42 Trusted Source).
22. Spiced Cashews
Spiced cashews make for a highly nutritious snack. They contain heart-healthy fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. What's more, these nuts are rich in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin that are vital for proper eye function (43, 44 Trusted Source).
In fact, high intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin have been linked to a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (44 Trusted Source).
To make this tasty treat, toss raw cashews in olive oil, cumin, chili powder, and ginger. Spread them on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 325℉ (165℃) for 12–15 minutes.
You can also buy spiced cashews in stores and online. Just be sure to select a variety that uses minimal, natural ingredients.
23. Turkey and Cheese Roll-Ups
Turkey and cheese roll-ups are convenient, high-protein snacks.
Turkey is a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B6, a nutrient that's essential for energy production. Plus, cheese is loaded with important nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D (45, 46).
24. Smoked Salmon on Whole-Grain Crackers
Smoked salmon is a highly nutritious snack that's rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids that act as powerful anti-inflammatories and may help reduce your risk of conditions, such as heart disease and depression (11 Trusted Source, 47, 48 Trusted Source).
Pair smoked salmon with 100% whole-grain or brown-rice crackers for a healthy, satisfying work snack.
25. Seaweed Snacks
Seaweed snacks are crispy squares sliced from sheets of seaweed that have been dried and seasoned with salt.
They're low in calories and very high in iodine, a mineral that's critical for thyroid health (49 Trusted Source).
You can buy seaweed snacks locally or online. Look for varieties with few ingredients, such as seaweed, olive oil, and salt.
26. Avocado on Sourdough Toast
Avocado on sourdough toast is a healthy snack that you can make at work. Sourdough is made through a fermentation process and may have similar properties to pre- and probiotics (50 Trusted Source).
Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed your gut bacteria, whereas probiotics are health-promoting gut bacteria. They work together to promote optimal gut health and digestion (51 Trusted Source).
Adding avocado to sourdough toast contributes additional fiber and healthy fats to make a more filling snack.
27. Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs are one of the most convenient and nutritious snacks.
In fact, eggs contain a small amount of almost every nutrient that you need. One large egg (50 grams) packs over 6 grams of protein, in addition to iron, calcium, choline, and vitamins A, B6, B12, and D, among other nutrients (36).
28. Brie and Grapes
Brie cheese and grapes are a tasty snack combo that's easy to prep.
Grapes are high in fiber, potassium, and vitamin B6, while brie is rich in protein, fat, and vitamins A and B12. Eating them together provides a good balance of carbs, proteins, and fats that can help you feel energized and full (52, 53).
29. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted pumpkin seeds are a portable and shelf-stable snack that you can keep at your desk.
Just 1/4 cup (30 grams) of pumpkin seeds has 180 calories, 3 grams of fiber, 15% of the DV for iron and 14 grams of filling fat, most of which is from heart-healthy unsaturated fats. They're also particularly high in the immune-boosting mineral zinc (54, 55 Trusted Source, 56 Trusted Source).
To make roasted pumpkin seeds, toss raw seeds in olive oil and sea salt. Lay them out on a lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes at 300℉ (150℃).
30. Frozen Yogurt Bark
Frozen yogurt bark is a refreshing treat made from plain Greek yogurt and fresh fruit, such as blueberries, that you can store in your work freezer.
It's rich in protein, fiber, calcium, and several other nutrients. Plus, unlike store-bought frozen yogurt or ice cream, homemade frozen yogurt bark does not contain added sugars (57, 58).
To make this tasty treat, mix plain Greek yogurt with blueberries or strawberries and spread it on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes or until it's cold enough to break into pieces.
31. Green Smoothies
Bringing green smoothies to work is an easy way to enjoy a nutritious snack on the go.
You can make them with spinach, frozen bananas, a scoop of nut butter, protein powder, and either plant-based or cow's milk. This provides a good balance of fiber, protein, and healthy fat, making your smoothie a filling treat (26, 59, 60, 61).
32. Chia Pudding
Chia pudding is usually made with chia seeds, milk, vanilla, fruit, and a sweetener.
Chia seeds are incredibly nutritious and high in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, iron, and calcium. In fact, 2 tablespoons (35 grams) of chia seeds provide over 16% of the DV for calcium and 32% of the DV for fiber (62).
Some studies in humans suggest that adding chia seeds to your breakfast may help increase feelings of fullness and reduce calorie intake, which may aid weight loss (63 Trusted Source).
To make chia pudding, combine 3 tablespoons (40 grams) of chia seeds with 1 cup (240 ml) of milk in a glass jar. Add sliced fruit, pumpkin seeds, a bit of maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and grab it on your way to work in the morning.
You can buy chia seeds in most supermarkets or online.
33. Homemade Protein Bars
Store-bought protein bars are often loaded with added sugars, though wholesome varieties with limited ingredients are available as well.
If you want complete control over what's in your protein treat, make your own with healthy ingredients like seeds, nuts, nut butters, coconut, and dried fruit.
Add natural sweetness with maple syrup or honey.
You can find countless recipes online and in specialized cookbooks.
The Bottom Line
Having healthy snacks on hand at work is a great way to stay energized and productive.
The wholesome snacks in this list are easy to make, portable, nutritious, and can be stored at your desk or in a work kitchen.
With such tasty options, you can easily stick to a healthy diet at home, at work, and on the go.
Reposted with permission from our media associate Healthline.
Thousands of Superfund sites exist around the U.S., with toxic substances left open, mismanaged and dumped. Despite the high levels of toxicity at these sites, nearly 21 million people live within a mile of one of them, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Currently, more than 1,300 Superfund sites pose a serious health risk to nearby communities. Based on a new study, residents living close to these sites could also have a shorter life expectancy.
Published in Nature Communications, the study, led by Hanadi S. Rifai, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Houston, and a team of researchers, found that living in nearby zip codes to Superfund sites resulted in a decreased life expectancy of more than two months, the University of Houston reported.
"We have ample evidence that contaminant releases from anthropogenic sources (e.g., petrochemicals or hazardous waste sites) could increase the mortality rate in fence-line communities," Rifai told the University of Houston. "Results showed a significant difference in life expectancy among census tracts with at least one Superfund site and their neighboring tracts with no sites."
The study pulled data from 65,000 census tracts – defined geographical regions – within the contiguous U.S., The Guardian reported. With this data, researchers found that for communities that are socioeconomically challenged, this life expectancy could decrease by up to a year.
"It was a bit surprising and concerning," Rifai told The Guardian. "We weren't sure [when we started] if the fact that you are socioeconomically challenged would make [the Superfund's effects] worse."
The research team, for example, found that the presence of a Superfund site in a census tract with a median income of less than $52,580 could reduce life expectancy by seven months, the University of Houston reported.
Many of these toxic sites were once used as manufacturing sites during the Second World War. Common toxic substances that are released from the sites into the air and surface water include lead, trichlorethylene, chromium, benzene and arsenic – all of which can lead to health impacts, such as neurological damage among children, The Union of Concerned Scientists wrote in a blog.
"The EPA has claimed substantial recent progress in Superfund site cleanups, but, contrary to EPA leadership's grandiose declarations, the backlog of unfunded Superfund cleanups is the largest it has been in the last 15 years," the Union wrote.
Delayed cleanup could become increasingly dangerous as climate change welcomes more natural hazards, like wildfires and flooding. According to a Government Accountability Office report, for example, climate change could threaten at least 60 percent of Superfund sites in the U.S., AP News reported.
During the summer of 2018, a major wildfire took over the Iron Mountain Superfund site near Redding, CA, ruining wastewater treatment infrastructure that is responsible for capturing 168 million gallons of acid mine drainage every month, NBC News reported.
"There was this feeling of 'My God. We ought to have better tracking of wildfires at Superfund locations,'" Stephen Hoffman, a former senior environmental scientist at the EPA, told NBC News. "Before that, there wasn't a lot of thought about climate change and fire. That has changed."
In the study, researchers also looked at the impacts of floodings on Superfund sites, which could send toxins flowing into communities and waterways.
"When you add in flooding, there will be ancillary or secondary impacts that can potentially be exacerbated by a changing future climate," Rifai told the University of Houston. "The long-term effect of the flooding and repetitive exposure has an effect that can transcend generations."
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A weather research station on a bluff overlooking the sea is closing down because of the climate crisis.
The National Weather Service (NWS) station in Chatham, Massachusetts was evacuated March 31 over concerns the entire operation would topple into the ocean.
"We had to say goodbye to the site because of where we are located at the Monomoy Wildlife Refuge, we're adjacent to a bluff that overlooks the ocean," Boston NWS meteorologist Andy Nash told WHDH at the time. "We had to close and cease operations there because that bluff has significantly eroded."
Chatham is located on the elbow of Cape Cod, a land mass extending out into the Atlantic Ocean that has been reshaped and eroded by waves and tides over tens of thousands of years, The Guardian explained. However, sea level rise and extreme weather caused by the climate crisis have sped that change along.
"It's an extremely dynamic environment, which is obviously a problem if you are building permanent infrastructure here," Andrew Ashton, an associate scientist at Cape-Cod based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told The Guardian. "We are putting our foot on the accelerator to make the environment even more dynamic."
This was the case with the Chatham weather station. It used to be protected from the drop into the ocean by about 100 feet of land. However, storm action in 2020 alone washed away as much as six feet of land a day.
"We'd know[n] for a long time there was erosion but the pace of it caught everyone by surprise," Nash told The Guardian. "We felt we had maybe another 10 years but then we started losing a foot of a bluff a week and realized we didn't have years, we had just a few months. We were a couple of storms from a very big problem."
The Chatham station was part of a network of 92 NWS stations that monitor temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction and other data in the upper atmosphere, The Cape Cod Chronicle explained. The stations send up radiosondes attached to weather balloons twice a day to help with weather research and prediction. The Chatham station, which had been observing this ritual for the past half a century, sent up its last balloon the morning of March 31.
"We're going to miss the observations," Nash told The Cape Cod Chronicle. "It gives us a snapshot, a profile of the atmosphere when the balloons go up."
The station was officially decommissioned April 1, and the two buildings on the site will be demolished sometime this month. The NWS is looking for a new location in southeastern New England. In the meantime, forecasters will rely on data from stations in New York and Maine.
Nash said the leavetaking was bittersweet, but inevitable.
"[M]other nature is evicting us," he told The Cape Cod Chronicle.
By Douglas Broom
- If online deliveries continue with fossil-fuel trucks, emissions will increase by a third.
- So cities in the Netherlands will allow only emission-free delivery vehicles after 2025.
- The government is giving delivery firms cash help to buy or lease electric vehicles.
- The bans will save 1 megaton of CO2 every year by 2030.
Cities in the Netherlands want to make their air cleaner by banning fossil fuel delivery vehicles from urban areas from 2025.
"Now that we are spending more time at home, we are noticing the large number of delivery vans and lorries driving through cities," said Netherlands environment minister Stientje van Veldhoven, announcing plans to ban all but zero-emission deliveries in 14 cities.
"The agreements we are setting down will ensure that it will be a matter of course that within a few years, supermarket shelves will be stocked, waste will be collected, and packages will arrive on time, yet without any exhaust fumes and CO2 emissions," she added.
She expects 30 cities to announce zero emission urban logistics by this summer. City councils must give four years' notice before imposing bans as part of government plans for emission-free road traffic by 2050. The city bans aim to save 1 megaton of CO2 each year by 2030.
Help to Change
To encourage transport organizations to go carbon-free, the government is offering grants of more than US$5,900 to help businesses buy or lease electric vehicles. There will be additional measures to help small businesses make the change.
The Netherlands claims it is the first country in the world to give its cities the freedom to implement zero-emission zones. Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht already have "milieuzones" where some types of vehicles are banned.
Tilburg, one of the first wave of cities imposing the Dutch ban, will not allow fossil-fuelled vehicles on streets within its outer ring road and plans to roll out a network of city-wide electric vehicle charging stations before the ban comes into effect in 2025.
"Such initiatives are imperative to improve air quality. The transport of the future must be emission-free, sustainable, and clean," said Tilburg city alderman Oscar Dusschooten.
Europe Takes Action
Research by Renault shows that many other European cities are heading in the same direction as the Netherlands, starting with Low Emission Zones of which Germany's "Umweltzone" were pioneers. More than 100 communes in Italy have introduced "Zonas a traffico limitato."
Madrid's "zona de baja emisión" bans diesel vehicles built before 2006 and petrol vehicles from before 2000 from central areas of the city. Barcelona has similar restrictions and the law will require all towns of more than 50,000 inhabitants to follow suit.
Perhaps the most stringent restrictions apply in London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which charges trucks and large vehicles up to US$137 a day to enter the central area if they do not comply with Euro 6 emissions standards. From October, the ULEZ is being expanded.
Cities are responsible for around 75% of CO2 emissions from global final energy use, according to the green thinktank REN21 - and much of these come from transport. Globally, transport accounts for 24% of world CO2 emissions.
The Rise of Online Shopping
Part of the reason for traffic in urban areas is the increase in delivery vehicles, as online shopping continues to grow. Retailer ecommerce sales are expected to pass $5billion in 2022, according to eMarketer.
The World Economic Forum's report The Future of the Last-Mile Ecosystem, published in January 2020, estimates that e-commerce will increase the number of delivery vehicles on the roads of the world's 100 largest cities by 36% by 2030.
If all those vehicles burn fossil fuels, the report says emissions will increase by 32%. But switching to all-electric delivery vehicles would cut emissions by 30% from current levels as well as reducing costs by 25%, the report says.
Other solutions explored in the report include introducing goods trams to handle deliveries alongside their passenger-carrying counterparts and increased use of parcel lockers to reduce the number of doorstep deliveries.
Reposted with permission from the World Economic Forum.
A bill that would have banned fracking in California died in committee Tuesday.
The bill, SB467, would have prohibited fracking and other controversial forms of oil extraction. It would also have banned oil and gas production within 2,500 feet of a home, school, hospital or other residential facility. The bill originally set the fracking ban for 2027, but amended it to 2035, The AP reported.
"Obviously I'm very disappointed," State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), one of the bill's two introducers, told the Los Angeles Times. "California really has not done what it needs to do in terms of addressing the oil problem. We have communities that are suffering right now, and the Legislature has repeatedly failed to act."
The bill was introduced after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would sign a fracking ban if it passed the legislature, though his administration has continued to issue permits in the meantime, Forbes reported. Newsom has also spoken in favor of a buffer zone between oil and gas extraction and places where people live and learn, according to the Los Angeles Times. The latter is a major environmental justice issue, as fossil fuel production is more likely to be located near Black and Latinx communities.
Urban lawmakers who want California to lead on the climate crisis supported the bill, while inland lawmakers in oil-rich areas concerned about jobs opposed it. The oil and gas industry and trade unions also opposed the bill.
This opposition meant the bill failed to get the five votes it needed to move beyond the Senate's Natural Resources and Water Committee. Only four senators approved it, while Democrat Sen. Susan Eggman of Stockton joined two Republicans to oppose it, and two other Democrats abstained.
Eggman argued that the bill would have forced California to rely on oil extracted in other states.
"We're still going to use it, but we're going to use it from places that produce it less safely," Eggman told The AP. She also said that she supported the transition away from fossil fuels, but thought the bill jumped the gun. "I don't think we're quite there yet, and this bill assumes that we are," she added.
Historically, California has been a major U.S. oil producer. Its output peaked in 1986 at 1.1 million barrels a day, just below Texas and Alaska, according to Forbes. However, production has declined since then making it the seventh-most oil-producing state.
Still, California's fossil fuel industry is at odds with state attempts to position itself as a climate leader.
"There is a large stain on California's climate record, and that is oil," Wiener said Tuesday, according to The AP.
Wiener and Democrat co-introducer Sen. Monique Limón from Santa Barbara vowed to keep fighting.
"While we saw this effort defeated today, this issue isn't going away," they wrote in a joint statement. "We'll continue to fight for aggressive climate action, against harmful drilling, and for the health of our communities."
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World's 5% 'Polluter Elite' Responsible for 37% of Global Emissions Growth, Study Concludes
By Brett Wilkins
As world leaders prepare for this November's United Nations Climate Conference in Scotland, a new report from the Cambridge Sustainability Commission reveals that the world's wealthiest 5% were responsible for well over a third of all global emissions growth between 1990 and 2015.
The report, Changing Our Ways: Behavior Change and the Climate Crisis, found that nearly half the growth in absolute global emissions was caused by the world's richest 10%, with the most affluent 5% alone contributing 37%.
"In the year when the UK hosts COP26, and while the government continues to reward some of Britain's biggest polluters through tax credits, the commission report shows why this is precisely the wrong way to meet the UK's climate targets," the report's introduction states.
The authors of the report urge United Kingdom policymakers to focus on this so-called "polluter elite" in an effort to persuade wealthy people to adopt more sustainable behavior, while providing "affordable, available low-carbon alternatives to poorer households."
The report found that the "polluter elite" must make "dramatic" lifestyle changes in order to meet the UK's goal — based on the Paris climate agreement's preferential objective — of limiting global heating to 1.5°C, compared with pre-industrial levels.
In addition to highlighting previous recommendations — including reducing meat consumption, reducing food waste, and switching to electric vehicles and solar power — the report recommends that policymakers take the following steps:
- Implement frequent flyer levies;
- Enact bans on selling and promoting SUVs and other high polluting vehicles;
- Reverse the UK's recent move to cut green grants for homes and electric cars; and
- Build just transitions by supporting electric public transport and community energy schemes.
"We have got to cut over-consumption and the best place to start is over-consumption among the polluting elites who contribute by far more than their share of carbon emissions," Peter Newell, a Sussex University professor and lead author of the report, told the BBC.
"These are people who fly most, drive the biggest cars most, and live in the biggest homes which they can easily afford to heat, so they tend not to worry if they're well insulated or not," said Newell. "They're also the sort of people who could really afford good insulation and solar panels if they wanted to."
Newell said that wealthy people "simply must fly less and drive less. Even if they own an electric SUV, that's still a drain on the energy system and all the emissions created making the vehicle in the first place."
"Rich people who fly a lot may think they can offset their emissions by tree-planting schemes or projects to capture carbon from the air," Newell added. "But these schemes are highly contentious and they're not proven over time."
The report concludes that "we are all on a journey and the final destination is as yet unclear. There are many contradictory road maps about where we might want to get to and how, based on different theories of value and premised on diverse values."
"Promisingly, we have brought about positive change before, and there are at least some positive signs that there is an appetite to do what is necessary to live differently but well on the planet we call home," it states.
The new report follows a September 2020 Oxfam International study that revealed the wealthiest 1% of the world's population is responsible for emitting more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorest 50% of humanity combined.
Reposted with permission from Common Dreams.
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