Pope Francis, long known for his commitment to environmental stewardship, has taken his call for climate action one step further. He now owns an electric car, a Nissan LEAF.
The LEAF was given to the Pope in late February by German asset manager and mathematician Jochen Wermuth. The Pope's Nissan LEAF can travel up to 107 miles with a 30 kilowatt-hour battery. Wermuth tried to give the Pope a Tesla Model S electric limousine but the Pope preferred a smaller vehicle. The two men took a small test drive through the Vatican. Wermuth drove and the Pope sat next to him in the front seat.
Pope Francis is "the last superstar of mankind," Wermuth said. He also described the Pope as an example for other heads of state as well as every man on Earth.
Pope Francis: Indigenous People Should Have Final Say About Their Land https://t.co/YJMNM5Sha5 (@EcoWatch) #NoDAPL— Sierra Club (@Sierra Club)1487554202.0
Wermuth's connection with the Vatican extends beyond this eco-friendly gift. Wermuth's asset management firm is working with the Vatican to update the Holy See's investment strategy in line with the Pope's climate views. They are using his 2015 encyclical, Laudato si': On Care for Our Common Home, as a guide.
"Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it," the Pope said in his encyclical.
Pope Francis: 'Politics Has Become Submissive ... Seeking Profit Above All Else' https://t.co/mBTbY211kU @Greens @TheGreenParty— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)1480474210.0
Wermuth is known for giving the largest donation ever to the Greens, Germany's environmental party. The 47-year-old Protestant supported the Greens' election campaigns in Berlin, Baden-Württemberg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, donating around $630,000. Wermuth worked for Deutsche Bank in Russia in the 90s and is now a proponent of divesting from fossil fuels, Spiegel Online reported.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Kenyan professor Wangari Maathai poses during the COP15 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 15, 2009. Olivier Morin / AFP / Getty Images
By Kate Whiting
From Greta Thunberg to Sir David Attenborough, the headline-grabbing climate change activists and environmentalists of today are predominantly white. But like many areas of society, those whose voices are heard most often are not necessarily representative of the whole.
<p><a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/8-black-environmentalists-need-know/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental issues are deeply interconnected with racial justice</a> as Black people have historically been disproportionately impacted by pollution, climate change and lack of access to green space.</p><p>In June 2020, 25 Black environmental leaders published an open letter calling for an end to the '<a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/uploads-wysiwig/Statement%20on%20systemic%20and%20pervasive%20racism%20within%20the%20environmental%20field.pdf" target="_blank">systemic and pervasive racism within the environmental field</a>.' They called for an end to negative narratives around Black people and their relationship with nature in the U.S., Europe and Africa and listed solutions to eradicate racism, from education to ensuring access to wildlife.</p><p>From environmental justice advocates to scientists and social entrepreneurs, here are just a handful of the many Black environmentalists who have contributed to our global understanding of the need to look after our planet.</p>
1. Wangari Maathai
<p>In 2004, Professor Maathai made history as the <a href="https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/Prize-winners/Prizewinner-documentation/Wangari-Maathai" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize</a> for her dedication to sustainable development, democracy and peace. She started the <a href="http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Green Belt Movement</a>, a community-based tree planting initiative that aims to reduce poverty and encourage conservation, in 1977. More than 51 million trees have been planted helping build climate resilience and empower communities, especially women and girls. Her environmental work is celebrated every year on <a href="http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/node/955" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wangari Maathai Day on 3 March</a>.</p>​2. Robert Bullard
<p>Known as the 'father of environmental justice,' Dr Bullard has <a href="https://www.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2020/robert-bullard" target="_blank">campaigned against harmful waste</a> being dumped in predominantly Black neighborhoods in the southern states of the U.S. since the 1970s. His first book, Dumping in Dixie, highlighted the link between systemic racism and environmental oppression, showing how the descendants of slaves were exposed to higher-than-average levels of pollutants. In 1994, his work led to the signing of the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/albert-huang/20th-anniversary-president-clintons-executive-order-12898-environmental-justice" target="_blank">Executive Order on Environmental Justice</a>, which the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/" target="_blank">Biden administration is building on</a>.<br></p>Â
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7983f54726debdd824f97f9ad3bdbb87"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T_VjSGk8s18?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4OTYxMC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzA2NTg5MH0.Bo1gWG2ciWhbBFN5X0pX5h68T566FLm1eO_ulQYYjqg/img.png?width=980" id="31f4c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="685c35c43855fcf8319ac2edba5e4fd2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1696" data-height="1204" />
Pollution has a race problem. Elizabethwarren.com
3. John Francis
<p>Helping the clean-up operation after an oil spill in San Francisco Bay in January 1971 inspired Francis to <a href="https://planetwalk.org/about-john/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stop taking motorized transport</a>. Instead, for 22 years, he walked everywhere. He also took a vow of silence that lasted 17 years, so he could listen to others. He has walked the width of the U.S. and sailed and walked through South America, earning the nickname "Planetwalker," and raising awareness of how interconnected people are with the environment.</p>Â
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09b968e0e9964e31406954dcea45981d"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgQjL23_FoU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>4. Dr. Warren Washington
<p>A meteorology and climate pioneer, Dr. Washington was one of the first people to develop atmospheric computer models in the 1960s, which have helped scientists understand climate change. These models now also incorporate the oceans and sea ice, surface water and vegetation. In 2007, the <a href="https://www.cgd.ucar.edu/pcm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Parallel Climate Model (PCM)</a> and <a href="https://www.cesm.ucar.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Community Earth System Model (CESM)</a>, earned Dr. Washington and his colleagues the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2007/summary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nobel Peace Prize</a>, as part of the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>.</p>Â
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09fbf6dc37f275f438a0d53ec0fe1874"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bvJ4jTy2mTk?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>5. Angelou Ezeilo
<p>Huge trees and hikes to pick berries during her childhood in upstate New York inspired Ezeilo to become an environmentalist and set up the <a href="https://gyfoundation.org/staff/Angelou-Ezeilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Greening Youth Foundation</a>, to educate future generations about the importance of preservation. Through its schools program and Youth Conservation Corps, the social enterprise provides access to nature to disadvantaged children and young people in the U.S. and West Africa. In 2019, Ezeilo published her book <em>Engage, Connect, Protect: Empowering Diverse Youth as Environmental Leaders</em>, co-written by her Pulitzer Prize-winning brother Nick Chiles.</p>Â
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ce4547d4e5c0b9ad2927f19fd75bf4ab"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YojKMfUvJMs?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>From Your Site Articles
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Algal blooms from fertilizer pollution are among the causes behind global coastal darkening. Gooddenka / Getty Images
Coastal waters around the world are growing darker from pollution and runoff. This has the potential to create huge problems for the ocean and its marine life.
<p>Coastal darkening is a change in the color and clarity of water. According to <a href="https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/the-environmental-threat-youve-never-heard-of/" target="_blank">Hakai Magazine</a>, the underlying causes include fertilizer pollution creating algal blooms, along with boats stirring up silt. Both of these issues block light. Even heavy rains can contribute when they loosen organic matter from decaying plants and soil, carrying them to the ocean as a brown, light-blocking slurry, Hakai Magazine noted.</p><p>According to <a href="https://sciencenorway.no/environmental-surveillance-ocean/the-sea-along-norways-coast-has-gotten-darker-thats-bad-news-for-fish-seagrass-and-kelp/1804006" target="_blank">Science Norway</a>, sunlight hitting these particles gets absorbed or blocked, instead of penetrating further down the water column. The result is that the underwater world is darker. Science Norway also reported that the amount of loose organic material that ends up in the sea has increased during the last 30 years.</p><p>"It's affecting the quality of the sea we know," Oliver Zielinski, who runs the <a href="https://uol.de/en/icbm/collaborative-projects/coastal-ocean-darkening" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Coastal Ocean Darkening project</a> at the University of Oldenburg in Germany, told Hakai Magazine.</p><p>According to the <a href="https://uol.de/en/icbm/collaborative-projects/coastal-ocean-darkening" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">project's website</a>, "Light availability in the coastal ocean is closely coupled to its physical, biological and chemical processes and is experiencing changes on all spatial and temporal scales." This will have profound ecological implications that are just beginning to be understood.</p>
<p>First, physical impediments create biological changes in water. A study from the Coastal Ocean Darkening project published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.547829/full" target="_blank">Frontiers in Marine Science</a> showed that as more organic matter blocked sunlight from penetrating the water, phytoplankton concentrations dropped. Because phytoplankton are the base of the oceanic food chain, decreasing numbers and shifting concentrations of specific types could have catastrophic, cascading consequences for the entire ecosystem, Hakai Magazine reported.</p><p>Over time, other biological changes in marine life might be observed, the study found. Decreased light availability benefits creatures such as jellyfish that don't rely on sight to hunt, while hindering those that are visual hunters, such as fish, Hakai Magazine reported. A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230774741_Coastal_water_darkening_and_implications_for_mesopelagic_regime_shifts_in_Norwegian_fjords" target="_blank">2009 study</a> found that coastal water darkening was implicated in regime shifts of predominant animals in Norwegian fjords. For example, jellyfish enjoyed a "mass occurrence" after more than 70 years of coastal darkening in the fjords. </p><p>A 2021 report of Norwegian fjords found that darkening makes life difficult for plankton, kelp, seagrass and fish because all depend on light to make their food, reported Science Norway. Reductions in vast ecosystems, such as kelp forests and seagrass beds because of light scarcity, have negative consequences for fish species that use these areas as nurseries, the report added.</p><p>The Coastal Ocean Darkening study predicted that ongoing and future <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate change</a> would intensify this darkening. The climate crisis and warming ocean temperatures will <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-extreme-weather-2639274656.html" target="_self">result in more extreme weather</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-crisis-hurricanes-wetter-2639175731.html" target="_self">increased rainfall</a>, Science Norway reported. These, in turn, will intensify runoff into coastal ecosystems, causing browner, darker water. Human activity and changes in land use could also result in "large pulses of soil and sediment" smothering coastal ecosystems and reducing light penetration and water clarity, Hakai Magazine reported.</p>
<p>A separate study from the Norwegian Institute for Water Research published by the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b03093" target="_blank">American Chemical Society</a> found that ocean darkening is also changing the chemical makeup of the water. When less light penetrates, methyl mercury, which results when sunlight breaks down toxic chemicals, lingers and accumulates in the water. This allows methyl mercury and other organic contaminants to readily transfer into the fish food web and, eventually, humans, Hakai Magazine reported.</p><p>So, what can be done?</p><p>Science Norway suggested stricter land-use regulations for areas that drain to rivers and other bodies of water. Reducing nutrient runoff to these areas will also reduce the amount that eventually makes it to the sea.</p><p>"For example, the authorities could impose stricter regulations on when farmers are allowed to plow their fields, or a requirement to preserve wetlands," said Helene Frigstad, the project manager behind the 2021 report on Norwegian fjords.</p><p>With this relatively unknown environmental phenomenon already altering waterways along the world's coasts, more research is needed to pinpoint exact consequences and potential solutions.</p>
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Trending
New USPS Fleet to Include Some Electric Vehicles, Some Gas With Electric Retrofit Potential
1h
Energy
A U.S. Postal Service truck drives down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on April 23, 2020. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images
The Postal Service is updating its massive fleet of mail carrying vehicles, heralding a significant step toward reducing carbon pollution from its massive fleet while also helping to protect its workforce from climate impacts.
<p>The Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, made by Oshkosh Defense of Wisconsin, will start delivering mail in 2023, the USPS announced Tuesday. The fleet will include high efficiency gasoline-powered vehicles as well as <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles">electric vehicles</a>. </p>
<p>The gasoline-powered new vehicles will have the ability to be retrofitted with new electric systems in the future. Environmental advocates criticized the decision to include internal combustion-powered vehicles in the contract, which they said contradicted the Biden administration's goal to electrify the U.S. fleet. Crucially for postal workers, disproportionately Black and female, who are <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/top_story/extreme-heat-driven-by-climate-change-threatens-postal-workers/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Ip0Rt-Auiess0gfHFp6Dwr6Ds3hGHYgfUahnN3y2G9clM8f5Z-pPTpcchrImVyYn9L947q-VlHaMTX7VPi1bosZQ6LA&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">especially vulnerable to hyperthermia</a> as climate-fueled extreme heatwaves become more common, the NGDV will feature air conditioning (as well as airbags and collision avoidance systems). </p>
<p>The majority of the current Grumman LLV (Long Life Vehicle) are between 25- and 32-years-old and get 10 miles per gallon, worse than a 2010 <a href="https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2010_Hummer_H3.shtml?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--0JetoCU4qofY02qIuZEjL8N9koP9F_4UfPaf6TMTS37hNRFxtEy4IrBZHMIkMDLrKbnC4xj0We_8xV1UW0Q3Y-M-Vpw&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hummer</a>. In a separate hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday, Rep. Cori Bush criticized the USPS board of governors, which is composed of six white men including three investment bankers and a coal lobbyist, for looking "like a millionaire white boy's club."</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p>NGDV announcement: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/23/business/new-postal-service-delivery-vehicle/index.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-94VrOWDqcY8xMl_dsap59SHLUfXkrGU-cTzqMm6sAK3p47QyIAWdDNgQV7tL5hh3yMZljlnKzFg8urtnaM0-LDCi00LQ&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">CNN</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-24/post-office-purchase-of-gasoline-truck-seems-to-defy-biden-order?sref=oUjKJw8m&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9m7BgAqGgVu-fIMrAvmbrTAIBWya8BPPMJejUEKHW517RuHXlU4Oo-AW_UGEW57MAp61CjNW_8BYRa6jXDmP2I3o2DjQ&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-wisconsin-environment-postal-service-electric-vehicles-f131e82dcb81757962766ddb96c2f0a1?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_tT-jbAWxFiyTbsQSB5ygK46spjfrIBDzWlHh_esVi7xY3zpnav0UPp0JQdV9JkFbX7fjqqsIt58dcEn_8ObR0b2fngQ&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2021/02/24/stories/1063725861?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--nsiZOHR1q5xk_PZzkpqsefsOmP9xAN-5zj6L8dit7O8eKhy7m4VUeq7Bz_KBIsF4Xdka6iytOh1EeT5UOktHnuncuZg&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/usps-mail-truck-oshkosh-defense/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--2MmEa8YhRMYKLSh4WjK4eskV6EiSbj7rjDipRntmfq7QCIl9DWjrh6v0I-qkHlqzEsmn1A_KR_R_KxAX6KJEz8J81Vw&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">CBS</a>, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2021/02/23/usps-new-mail-delivery-trucks/4566631001/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--r-tmcNniSqT6izFdW44Mt_J-INMnXOjY8nJoq5j9L1Fxyhb7K0AK4p0DSXyP0MjFsjXdhTecQ0wINm96mG-EtQKSsCw&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">USA Today</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/23/business/stock-market-today?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--4-bOZMNz9BlG7KSuNy95-k1_FYyEMQN8U8SkbWDwwv6Lo405uBEa_fkPTgofMAUsm0UK5xd2sXGHs6vU1pAcvbcw6KQ&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email#postal-service-fleet-contract" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/02/usps-picks-a-new-mail-truck-and-no-they-wont-all-be-electric/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_P2UVzg6xbqRXInedThmX__nwZ7mRXI3QDSSLXheYRQQZ0MyN-jIC17kAG7dEJ1S-74vmA8XHaRY0Fm9u9YBn23Us9Tw&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Ars Technica</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/23/22297823/usps-postal-service-mail-truck-electric-oshkosh-workhorse?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9kTKOmIxqSybaGr026yakenVma4u5hNP1Cc9cNGL3kJGigbbWb0mmsS3IIO7QbochTawJCvVjwf_zycVI1tuq49JpWrQ&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Verge</a>, <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/news/oshkosh-ngdv-usps-mail-van-first-look-review/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--V7xmFH4DDKE9Y9j9jdtCi5rtV76tZotzKqB7Lwe5I0SFvM8kD7Ddc8zlynkfa1_vMSuj89NYbMOP5MCrhTJNMtx4X3Q&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Motor Trend</a>; USPS demographics: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/24/dejoy-hearing-usps-live-updates/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_EPoZ2XjbDzMZTys_11GvMARRIkomyXAVTwlBbSmfWFBwTSWZAR2m14Usmeqy0jlk9F3DP5THzF9na9jK6qPXSGBKxXQ&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>; <span style="background-color: initial;">Climate</span> Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/extreme-heat-and-heat-waves?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8QSokbpMPV6BGHRMP-GeiPaapjjIDSWhwi9edSrjW-IbOaSLY4-Bj6hR_1h4XoDF59-eAxF7Gk6O028uG0UZ-n5WZjYQ&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Extreme heat and heatwaves</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Congresswoman Deb Haaland, seen here on December 19, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware, is poised to become the next U.S. Secretary of Interior pending Senate confirmation hearings. Alex Edelman / AFP / Getty Images
After a second day of Senate hearings, Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) is poised to become the first Native to serve as Secretary of the Interior (or any such high-ranking cabinet position.)
<p>It was clear the GOP appeared to hold her to a standard far different from the unqualified or corrupt Trump nominees it approved, with incendiary language and attacks "<a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VW61Bk3sp0N8W5mpsPb5Y5z_6W6klx534ntv9hN24tzww3p_9rV1-WJV7CgXbMW3vYcZf2yvM5_VJdRXZ7TTT6sVdgt2m5mzDv6W5X8hFn50c6RRW947RK12Yzjt2W98hSVl6SC_c6W5S8ZBR5bbvfYW7C2BVT3RVTsYW2TbKH080q4Z1W3SdsNS7WX_nmN7by4YjRZ_-ZN5q3JnkyDq_bW6PK8761rdFZ0N4YLf4hJ9nSBW8y8zXX88gWPrW4ZlRQ-60wqgHW2yBZY149214mW5L4Ygy6cPr7YW5D3Vcw3zkRt6W389ZnG5pbckrV5NsFT4GXc0pW34PVn81JBGc5W6L4Cnq87zG8yV74vcj3rldLBW6zcG648VnflXW49Tyl44TD_Q_38Q21" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">premised on settler colonialism.</a>" </p><p>While Indigenous groups and others, like Senator Elizabeth Warren sang her praises, it was moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin who stood as the potentially undecided vote. Coming from fossil-fuel-friendly West Virginia, Manchin's initial reluctance suggested Haaland's nomination might be in trouble. </p><p>But after her second day of hearings, in which she repeatedly stated she would push the Biden administration's agenda, Manchin released a statement signaling his support for her nomination, virtually ensuring Haaland will have the votes to make history.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/debforinterior-we-are-ready-to-make-history-qhx9jdf-okyGe41Zio2FyQ?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_p9VoM0wqt1DX7ynnFm3lFGEVwT3Uo4ZopeeU1n1erC1WG47D1PIlbLY9c3UYh63oFD3nIdHA3HhgFA2F5oykv346_xAFfk1o4GFjOYk9UrOezDHU&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Indian Country Today,</a> <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/a-historic-run-support-for-auntie-deb-szgCQ7fr10a-1ZiZLgCurA?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8cTxNUneN75zchInT0k1O9kP-Krkvw3ke-KzYIpeycal92S2xWKZkiYu5TcnmVqVUIfCa9RcspF0eeyM-oSsjIsQh8fGoSTVtp4IhlmjNxCKpc0Ug&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Indian Country Today</a>, <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/indian-country-defends-deb-haaland-nZBNTaP750e-AobbIobSaw?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--a1lW1MmTlCg7VxpAEkRRhNqiFbYGkgMIQVWyC6YzE37NPITy9B1aRTz4yloNJS3sjXqmlqcRFgexEMtLqjKAygn6G6X7ulC0aT2xvgZitFD4tQxU&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Indian Country Today</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2021/02/24/stories/1063725905?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--NkklQ79bZQw_O5kfv-B_tc5HDMPrCOzCHtFcUl9VoKrJfsJWNsS9nYLP0KiODMtU3TVGhRR62RH9DYiHXoGS0Ri4TEashyr4QK2_NiXzbn_zIMOE&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E,</a> <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/540305-haaland-on-drilling-lease-moratorium-its-not-going-to-be-a?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9-VPuOR-l01pWuj07I3X-SS1RnRxXiIS_U6ph9VlY0ZV9IajktL0PJH8wEFQSQxVOHtCcBjfpEqiLa3_CTWFF9SBXiLLDNLx64bIMOpKTjJtO1neM&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2021/02/24/stories/1063725917?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--ZWgjS2zArv5d1CKPSZZPPMwAsx3kv09pkcwklZ6OKVUdImC-yhJnXm-qX_c8F-Rb2pDfMLQzYqFOktAOn--m-TfHnF2_xPu6FGMKKXIo8Z9E-bDM&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/climate/deb-haaland-interior-secretary.html?searchResultPosition=2&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_lIccuHeSWCi0XXA1VeqHm2k7vkabdei6KROmXgzS7KTzMj_KWfUakElz96Yl5Ehzo0z2vucw6hqkXxdh03LFeeC_kVBzkNVoMTnhZqw5suj5fax4&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/us/deb-haaland-senate.html?searchResultPosition=3&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_UCsi8hnEJhWYfM6L_RP5hQfUOlLFOJaAxvC5TS-IPddFCVy5i7fZJYxr0BpOMB8Yqcf8lUZmXufHydJuRUqP926k7jMB6wxofUb54F47QH2o9eDM&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/deb-haaland-native-americans-reaction-72ae93d659935b9b5e1117166eda8a37?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9G_nlUZ-yVVN9uS0vZkck8yAzSsKpP74f1l3xhhrTa3tiowwoNB4mqHLhQSU_zb8PK7MHw0ghNLdny2QPcV2uII7tCNocNsws_BT7zpg8ajV6sXns&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP,</a> <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/24/manchin-haaland-interior-confirmation-471408?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--QZh556xS-Ww72k395b3lAIzTqgy0J0yXWRzQgvS5DVWRk6deNjpJbzgxSBrcCJ4RxOLBgp3lD9pQKsXV5lD44naHLAt6PfrQx-5LxQbgO45Wyt30&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico</a>, <a href="https://login.politicopro.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriber.politicopro.com%2Farticle%2F2021%2F02%2Fhaaland-backs-bidens-move-to-block-keystone-xl-pipeline-project-3987202%3Futm_campaign%3DHot%2520News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Wi8j19V1F9rPalfTw7EZx2iWLqoJ9f9aTDjB5Si71DQkbsPOEwj7pT9OexevjbnvGgFfkZzfsJWt71iUyja6sc56a9B8nQOZf9Z5BZEfGS91s64w&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico Pro</a>,<a href="https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2021/02/24/stories/1063725919?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_H1jBZbAg5AMzefRfNvgoEscDoQ35ptHC6adNwWRMXPsl6JzQhffSgGBQRqLTHoh12Z1eiV0r5qYNShO5yDOQAgMFsdaU6KjJX2sIbPKJ1-J8dDc8&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"> E&E,</a><a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/540356-manchin-to-vote-to-support-haalands-confirmation?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9fH_SeHHs2qSDo8yZEzdyc11QQ6bBfZi6yVLwpUFx1C5lw0yjfQch8JF-Jq5tWBPCwIczht0CQYcTgr5XmLT_CCAkxgPKxN9c-qOKMls9h7G6J_1s&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22297585/deb-haaland-confirmation-hearing-interior-department?_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_hDLfxlEtqrTkslQ4z23sXdpA84ILi_duZL4NV_z7wrNa9awHLP_3H_7SYgvTKuPvS-d1dQaEEBTY6L5olxu4_-0uOuztst1bMvCyrl5xLGrrbeGE" target="_blank">Vox</a>,<a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/the-oil-and-gas-money-behind-the-republicans-who-will-h-1846345607?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_zDIZkS2xldA53EGCuXQ3ftoAMqr-2mNKgkZYeKbEsrJafK6Mlt8lCAqxlxeyeiffFGKHc5hntaUvr36SeSJePM8fvTSlan7bggj5GBtp7Rjo4IjU&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"> Earther</a>, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/politics/what-matters-february-23/index.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9ZI77owlgK_RYlmfgfrmDzoq6OBvBE-bQgU-bkq6Kkxg-9HyhSCPRy4jS-woT7wTcH4rtdKpMOU0EiE9RDLlRb0HtvML4gjYpR2WJ7eC1C9cnUlf4&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">CNN</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a 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Yves Adams / Instagram
A rare yellow penguin has been photographed for what is believed to be the first time.
<p>Belgian <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> photographer Yves Adams snapped the shot in December 2019 on an island in South Georgia during a two-month expedition, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/yellow-penguin-photo-south-atlantic-b1804738.html" target="_blank">The Independent reported</a>. However, he first posted the photograph on Instagram this month.</p><p>"While unpacking our rubberboats merely after landing on a remote beach on the island of South-Georgia, this leucistic King penguin walked up straight to our direction in the middle of a chaos full of Sea elephants and Antarctic fur seals, and thousands of other King penguins," Adams wrote in his post. "How lucky could I be!"</p>
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<p>Leucism is a genetic mutation that causes some but not all of an animal's melanin to disappear, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/yellow-penguin-south-georgia.html" target="_blank">Live Science explained</a>. King penguins typically have black and white feathers with a yellow bow-tie-like stripe on the collar. Melanin, or dark pigment, is responsible for the darker feathers. While pigment anomalies in penguins are rare, they can be either melanistic (all black), albanistic (all white) or leucistic (a mix of both).</p><p>Dee Boersma, a University of Washington conservation biologist who was not a part of Adams's expedition, told Live Science that she agreed with his diagnosis.</p>
<p>However, Kevin McGraw, an integrative behavioral ecologist at Arizona State University who also was not a part of the expedition, was less sure, as he told Live Science:</p><blockquote>"It does look albino from the perspective that it lacks all melanin" in its plumage, feet and eyes, McGraw said. Still, "we'd need feather samples for biochemical testing if we aimed to unequivocally document," whether melanin is present, he said.</blockquote><blockquote>Animals can be albino but still have non-melanin pigment, he added.</blockquote>
<p>McGraw added that the mutation might put the unique penguin at a disadvantage, since penguins use their coloring for choosing mates and protecting themselves from both predators and the sun.</p><p>"It's conceivable that such color aberrations could impact both survival and reproduction," McGraw said.</p><p>For whatever the reason, the white-and-yellow coloring is rare enough that it has never been seen before, as far as experts are aware. A white chinstrap penguin was spotted in Antarctica in 2012, The Independent reported.</p><p>The rarity made Adams feel especially lucky to get a chance to photograph this individual. He said that it was one of at least 120,000 penguins in the colony.</p><p>"It was heaven that he landed by us. If it had been 50 metres away, we wouldn't have been able to get this show of a lifetime," Adams told The Independent.</p>
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