A boy plays basketball in front of an oil well covered with large colorful flowers and located next to Beverly Hills High School. Wells like this have been hidden throughout Los Angeles. Faces of Fracking / Flickr
While the hazards of fracking to human health are well-documented, first-of-its-kind research from Environmental Health News shows the actual levels of biomarkers for fracking chemicals in the bodies of children living near fracking wells far higher than in the general population.
<p>The research fills a gap in the science between the <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/top_story/racism-gas-flaring-preterm-births/?swcfpc=1&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113718159&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--IeKYsJkanyv2krbRsHJYxOkofQcR7PNdbAKUOWyWVgo641V3oi78yiiALF6Bs_6g-0ll4FRFpZfIBzg4iuv0d4TxgvA&utm_content=113718159&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">health harms</a> <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWl5n_3q5CJ8W1vkcM622ZDlgW8LzBkh4nHcKTN3V8l9V3p_9LV1-WJV7CgDHwW5-d9Tn58WbjLW29YYkj1XKTLxW6fxzrF5qVzLQW728zK68hv09gW6XMg5S6P2pm4W8H7t2g7fkYbxW7LK3Rj3lBqjhW6psXpd6BW69mW4LxNjC1fBkckW6zrLg869tPj5VBjczC3NL9KdW3Y7c8w60yrFXW6pQ6db7hmyZbV24BBj6k-9gQW3p45qg1l9h8tVVCGK-https://nexusmedianews.com/top_story/texas-fracking-well-racial-equity/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113718159&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9HnKTZpGsUpmqPPGaK4yztwgHCQlDwqY7CdovXbWiGnBCvO1jjWXhqUUD1EBXlzR4hXse4J1GNm47XfPzFkOsdqPs5GA&utm_content=113718159&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">experienced by</a> those <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/top_story/fracking-causes-radiation/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113718159&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Z9oDs8ErdTJkOBGkw6yk4DqDqbSJbq4c6Cn32fWeLj3YeiEB6S_IUkDKTaBN4cw4yzClKvupyBMWiQOv4d78IjZrttQ&utm_content=113718159&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">living near fracking</a> and the known harms caused by fracking chemicals: whether fracking chemicals were actually in people's bodies. They are. Of the southwestern <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/top_story/frack-attack-fail/?swcfpc=1&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113718159&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Ac7K45kaZuV9bo0mx6c4YENox9oKgEpZX0jkcmR3SCs8X7yL0MjwvSPhqa3ymTYnvF-oIYfh-bQThZp7c5YmULwelNQ&utm_content=113718159&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pennsylvania</a> families who participated in the study, those who lived closer to fracking wells had higher levels of fracking chemicals or their biomarkers than those who lived far away. </p>
<p>One nine-year-old boy had biomarkers for toluene, which can damage the nervous system or kidneys, 91 times higher than the average American. Another had biomarkers for ethylbenzene and styrene, 55 times higher than the average American. Exposure to ethylbenzene and styrene is linked to skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritation, reproductive harm, endocrine disruption, and increased cancer risk. The research is part one of a multi-part series by Environmental Health News exploring the multifaceted "body burden" of fracking.</p>
<p>As reported by <a href="https://www.ehn.org/fractured-harmful-chemicals-fracking-2650428324/family-video" target="_blank">Environmental Health News</a>:</p><blockquote>In Texas, researchers found that babies born near frequent flaring—the burning off of excess natural gas from fracking wells—are <a href="https://www.ehn.org/fracking-preterm-births--2646411428.html" target="_blank">50 percent</a> more likely to be premature. In Colorado, the state Department of Health <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ST8yZ0bUBrEzIkWsalOWCMHNjHNXarHO/view" target="_blank">found</a> that people living near fracking sites face elevated risk of nosebleeds, headaches, breathing trouble, and dizziness. In Pennsylvania, researchers found that people living near fracking face <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=75575&PageSpeed=noscript" target="_blank">increased rates of infant mortality</a>, <a href="https://www.ehn.org/pennsylvanians-who-live-near-fracking-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed-2590186370.html" target="_blank">depression</a>, and <a href="https://www.ehn.org/fracking-linked-to-increased-hospitalizations-for-skin-genital-and-urinary-issues-in-pennsylvania-2630649093.html" target="_blank">hospitalizations</a> for skin and urinary issues. <a href="https://www.ehn.org/health-impacts-of-fracking-2634432607.html" target="_blank">Studies of fracking communities</a> throughout the country have found that living near fracking wells increases the risk of premature births, high-risk pregnancies, asthma, migraines, fatigue, nasal and sinus symptoms, skin disorders and <a href="https://www.jacc.org/doi/full/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.10.023" target="_blank">heart failure</a>; and laboratory studies have <a href="https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/156/12/4458/2422671" target="_blank">linked</a> chemicals used in fracking fluid to endocrine disruption—which can cause hormone imbalance, reproductive harm, early puberty, brain and behavior problems, improper immune function, and cancer.</blockquote><blockquote>"We have enough evidence at this point that these health impacts should be of serious concern to policymakers interested in protecting public health," Irena Gorski Steiner, an environmental epidemiology doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told <em>Environmental Health News</em> (EHN).</blockquote>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwNjM4My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDY3MjcwM30.AYi_2gzgqE9i4HLu995WAMYiYDZiIbQiAS8nWHXm2xg/img.jpg?width=980" id="15f12" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2c985021edf24fb61f16e3a1c5831a11" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="800" data-height="531" />
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.ehn.org/fractured-harmful-chemicals-fracking-2650428324.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113718159&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9O7c9gr0YQxB-7EgWVqaoE01Bpt_vt5POEcj-_cXeFCr8B40TWI__h7eT2FqSJjb30O5mEqc32t8GiONxzhkBMhF4Sog&utm_content=113718159&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Environmental Health News</a>; Series overview: <a href="https://www.ehn.org/fractured-series-on-fracking-pollution-2650624600/fractured-fracking" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Environmental Health News</a></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>A man stands with his granddaughter in front of the Murphy Oil site located next door to his apartment in West Adams, Los Angles, California on July 16, 2014. Sarah Craig / Faces of Fracking
From Your Site Articles
- Total Ban on Fracking Urged by Health Experts: 1,500 Studies ... ›
- Every Parent Concerned About Their Kids' Health Should Read This ... ›
- 650,000 Children in 9 States Attend School Within 1 Mile of a ... ›
- Fracking Chemicals Remain Secret Despite EPA Knowledge of ... ›
- Study: Fracking Chemicals Harm Kids' Brains - EcoWatch ›
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Infants and young children may experience high phthalate levels because they often put plastic products in their mouths. Image Source / Getty Images
By Stephanie Eick
You may not realize it, but you likely encounter phthalates every day. These chemicals are found in many plastics, including food packaging, and they can migrate into food products during processing. They're in personal care products like shampoos, soaps and laundry detergents, and in the vinyl flooring in many homes.
<p>They're also in the news again after an editorial by scientists in the <a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306014" target="_blank">American Journal of Public Health</a> included an urgent call for better federal regulation of the chemicals.</p><p>In particular, scientists are urging state and federal agencies to eliminate phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) from products used by pregnant women and children. Despite evidence of the harm these chemicals can cause, federal regulation in the United States has been minimal beyond <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/01/26/2018-01451/prohibition-of-childrens-toys-and-child-care-articles-containing-specified-phthalates-revision-of" target="_blank">children's toys</a>. A recent move by the General Mills-owned food brand Annie's to <a href="https://www.annies.com/faq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eliminate phthalates from its macaroni and cheese</a> suggests stricter rules are feasible.</p><p>So, what's the risk, and what can you do about it?</p><p>I'm an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wKXbh1UAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">environmental epidemiologist</a> who studies the impact of pregnant women's exposure to environmental chemicals. Here are answers to three important questions about phthalates.</p>
<h2>Who's at Risk?</h2><p>Ortho-phthalates, commonly referred to as phthalates, are synthetic chemicals that are used to manufacture plastic. They help make plastic more flexible and harder to break.</p><p>Despite their abundance in many products, phthalates can be harmful to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412018329908" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pregnant women</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935115001899?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">their children</a>. These chemicals can disrupt the endocrine system, the glands that release hormones as the body's chemical messengers. Studies suggest that can lead to pregnant women <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021000684" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">delivering their babies early</a>. Other studies have found that children born to mothers exposed to high levels of phthalates can have a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935115001899?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lower IQ</a> and poorer social communication development, and that these children are also more likely to develop <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP2358" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ADHD</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161813X18303255?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">behavior problems</a>. Researchers have also found effects on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1280349/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">genital development of male infants</a> born to mothers exposed to phthalates during pregnancy.</p><p>While phthalates can be found in nearly everyone, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412018329908" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">minority women have been found to be especially burdened</a>. Studies show that many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.03.030" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">beauty products</a> targeted at these communities contain high levels of chemicals.</p><p><a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0b013e32835e1eb6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Infants and young children</a> may experience high phthalate levels because they often put plastic products in their mouths as they explore the world.</p><p>Phthalates can enter food at <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">many places</a> in the supply chain, including through plastic tubing for liquids during production, plastic storage containers and even food preparation gloves. Foods that are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050989/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high in fat</a> in particular can absorb phthalates through exposure during processing. Eating out doesn't avoid the risk. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.02.029" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study of U.S. children and adults</a> showed that those who ate food outside of their homes had higher phthalate levels.</p>
<h2>How Do I Know if a Product Has Phthalates?</h2><p>Figuring out which products have high levels of phthalates isn't always easy. While <a href="https://phthalates.americanchemistry.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">phthalates</a> are required to be listed on ingredients labels, they are sometimes included instead as part of the fragrance, which <a href="https://www.safecosmetics.org/fragrance-disclosure/learn-more/trade-secrets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allows them to be excluded</a> from the ingredients list.</p><p>Many companies have voluntarily removed phthalates, and many consumer products are now labeled "phthalate free." The <a href="https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Working Group</a>'s Skin Deep website also offers a way to search for details about chemicals in cleaning and personal care products.</p>
<h2>How Do I Keep My Family Safe?</h2><p>Phthalates are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rapidly metabolized</a> and generally removed from the body once exposure stops. Until there is better regulation, a few simple changes can make a big difference in promoting health and reducing phthalate levels in the home.</p><p>One <a href="http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1003170" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">easy change</a> is to swap out all plastic food packaging containers with glass containers. If that's not possible, it's best to let food cool to room temperature before placing it in plastic food storage containers.</p><p>Don't microwave anything in plastic, because phthalates can <a href="http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110100507" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">migrate from food storage containers</a> into food.</p><p>You can also reduce phthalate exposure by checking labels to avoid using products that include phthalates, by <a href="http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1003170" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eating less processed food</a> that might have absorbed phthalates during production, and by cooking more meals at home.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephanie-eick-1212588" target="_blank">Stephanie Eick</a> is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Reproductive Health, University of California, San Francisco.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: Stephanie Eick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-phthalates-and-how-do-they-put-childrens-health-at-risk-155841" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><iframe height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155841/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1"></iframe>From Your Site Articles
- 7 Types of Plastic Wreaking Havoc on Our Health - EcoWatch ›
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Results in Decline in Toxic Phthalates ... ›
- Phthalates Exposure in Womb Linked to Autistic Traits in Boys ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
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 by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<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" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><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" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><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" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><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" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><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" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><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
From Your Site Articles
- Best CBD Oils of 2020: Reviews & Buying Guide - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Oil for Pain Management - Top 10 CBD Oil Review 2020 ... ›
- Best CBD for Dogs 2020 - Organic CBD Oil for Pets - EcoWatch ›
- Full Spectrum CBD Oil: What To Know - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Waters: Plus All You Need to Know - EcoWatch ›
- The Best Water Soluble CBD Available Online - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD for Sleep (Lab-Tested, Person-Tested Oils) - EcoWatch ›
- Strongest CBD Oils to Buy in 2021? - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Oils For Pain: Top 3 Brands of 2021 - EcoWatch ›
- 8 Science-Based Benefits of CBD Oil - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Vape Pen: Top Brands of 2020 - EcoWatch ›
- Because Price Matters: Most Affordable CBD Oils of 2021 - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
How Safe Is Your Baby Food? Here’s What You Need to Know About Arsenic, Lead and Other Heavy Metals
22 February
Food
Heavy metals can be found at unsafe levels in commercial baby foods. Jordan Siemens / Stone / Getty Images
By C. Michael White
Heavy metals including lead, arsenic and mercury can be found in commercial baby foods at levels well above what the federal government considers safe for children, a new congressional report warns.
<p>Members of Congress asked seven major baby food makers to hand over test results and other internal documents after a <a href="https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf" target="_blank">2019 report</a> found that, out of 168 baby food products, 95% contained at least one heavy metal. Foods with rice or root vegetables, like carrots and sweet potatoes, had some of the highest levels, but they weren't the only ones.</p><p>How concerned should parents be and what can they do to reduce their child's exposure?</p><p>As a professor and pharmacist, I have investigated health safety concerns for several years <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1060028019881692" target="_blank">in drugs</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1060028019900504" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dietary supplements</a>, including contamination with heavy metals and the chemical <a href="http://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.35158" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NDMA</a>, a likely carcinogen. Here are answers to four questions parents are asking about the risks in baby food.</p>
<h3>How Do Heavy Metals Get Into Baby Food?</h3><p>Heavy metals come from the natural erosion of the <a href="http://doi.org/10.1155/2011/870125" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">earth's crust</a>, but humans have dramatically accelerated environmental exposure to heavy metals, as well.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/coal/coal-and-the-environment.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coal</a> is burned, it releases heavy metals into the air. Lead was commonly found in gasoline, paint, pipes and pottery glazes for decades. A pesticide with both <a href="http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.114-a470" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lead and arsenic</a> was widely used on crops and in orchards until it was banned in 1988, and phosphate-containing fertilizers, including organic varieties, still contain small amounts of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00747683" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cadmium, arsenic, mercury and lead.</a></p><p>These heavy metals still contaminate soil, and irrigation can expose more soil to heavy metals in water.</p><p>When food is grown in contaminated soil and irrigated with water containing heavy metals, the food becomes contaminated. Additional heavy metals can be introduced during manufacturing processes.</p><p>The United States has made major strides to reduce the use of fossil fuels, filter pollutants and remove lead from many products such as gasoline and paint. This reduced exposure to <a href="https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/lead-trends" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lead in the air</a> by 98% from 1980 to 2019. Processes can now also remove a proportion of the heavy metals from <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.04.198" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drinking water</a>. However, the heavy metals that accumulated in the soil over the decades is an ongoing problem, especially in <a href="http://doi.org/10.1021/es400521h" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">developing countries</a>.</p>
<h3>How Much Heavy Metal Is Too Much?</h3><p>The <a href="https://apps.who.int/food-additives-contaminants-jecfa-database/search.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Health Organization</a> and the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/metals-and-your-food/survey-data-lead-womens-and-childrens-vitamins" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Food and Drug Administration</a> have defined tolerable daily intakes of heavy metals. However, it's important to recognize that for many heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, there is no daily intake that is completely devoid of long-term health risk.</p><p>For lead, the FDA considers 3 micrograms per day or more to be cause for concern <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/metals-and-your-food/lead-food-foodwares-and-dietary-supplements" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in children</a>, well below the level for adults (12.5 micrograms per day).</p><p>Young children's bodies are smaller than adults, and lead can't be <a href="http://doi.org/10.1515/intox-2015-0009" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stored as readily in the bone</a>, so the same dose of heavy metals causes much greater blood concentrations in young children where it can do more damage. In addition, young brains are more rapidly developing and are therefore at greater risk of neurological damage.</p>
<p>These lead levels are <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/metals-and-your-food/lead-food-foodwares-and-dietary-supplements" target="_blank">about one-tenth</a> of the dose needed to achieve a blood lead concentration associated with major neurological problems, including the development of behavioral issues like aggression and attention deficit disorder. That doesn't mean lower doses are safe, though. Recent research shows that <a href="http://doi.org/10.1515/intox-2015-0009" target="_blank">lower blood lead levels</a> still impact neurological function, just not as dramatically.</p><p>For other heavy metals, the daily intake considered tolerable is based on <a href="https://apps.who.int/food-additives-contaminants-jecfa-database/search.aspx" target="_blank">body weight</a>: mercury is 4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight; arsenic is not currently defined but before 2011 it was 2.1 micrograms per kilogram of body weight.</p><p>Like with lead, there is a considerable safety margin between the tolerable dose and the dose that poses high risk of causing neurological harm, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1515/intox-2015-0009" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">anemia</a>, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1155/2011/870125" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">liver and kidney damage and an increased risk of cancer</a>. But even smaller amounts still carry risks.</p><p>One example of the exposure infants can face is a <a href="https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">brand of carrot baby food</a> found to have 23.5 parts of lead per billion, <a href="http://www.endmemo.com/sconvert/ppbug_g.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">equivalent</a> to 0.67 micrograms of lead per ounce. Since the average 6-month-old eats 4 ounces of vegetables a day, that would be 2.7 micrograms of lead a day – almost the maximum tolerable daily dose.</p>
<h3>What Can Parents Do to Reduce a Child's Exposure?</h3><p>Since the amount of heavy metals varies so dramatically, food choices can make a difference. Here are a few ways to reduce a young child's exposure.</p><p>1) Minimize the use of <a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-action-level-inorganic-arsenic-rice-cereals-infants?" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rice-based products</a>, including rice cereal, puffed rice and rice-based teething biscuits. Switching from rice-based products to those made with oats, corn, barley or quinoa could reduce the ingestion of arsenic by 84% and total heavy metal content <a href="https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by about 64%</a>, according to the study of 168 baby food products by the group Healthy Babies Bright Futures.</p><p>Using frozen banana pieces or a clean washcloth instead of a rice cereal based teething biscuit was found to reduce the total heavy metal exposure <a href="https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by about 91%</a>.</p><p>2) Switch from fruit juices to water. Fruit juice is not recommended for small children because it is laden with sugar, but it also is a source of heavy metals. Switching to water could reduce the intake of heavy metals <a href="https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by about 68%</a>, according to the report.</p><p>3) Alternate between root vegetables, such as carrots and sweet potatoes, and other vegetables. The roots of plants are in closest contact with the soil and have higher concentrations of heavy metals than other vegetables. Switching from carrots or sweet potatoes to other vegetables could decrease the total heavy metal content on that day <a href="https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by about 73%</a>. Root vegetables have vitamins and other nutrients, so you don't have to abandon them altogether, but use them sparingly.</p><p>Making your own baby food may not reduce your child's exposure to heavy metals. It depends on the heavy metal dosage in each of the ingredients that you are using. Organic may not automatically mean the heavy metal content is lower because soil could have been contaminated for generations before its conversion, and neighboring farm water runoff could contaminate common water sources.</p>
<h3>Is Anyone Doing Anything About It?</h3><p>The <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-02-04%20ECP%20Baby%20Food%20Staff%20Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">congressional report</a> calls for the FDA to <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-response-questions-about-levels-toxic-elements-baby-food-following-congressional-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">better define acceptable limits</a> for heavy metals in baby food. It points out that the heavy metal levels found in some baby foods far exceed the maximum levels allowed in bottled water. It also recommends standards for testing in the industry, and suggests requiring baby food makers to report heavy metals amounts on their product labels so parents can make informed choices.</p><p>Baby food manufacturers are also discussing the issue. The <a href="https://www.edf.org/media/baby-food-council-taking-challenge-reducing-heavy-metals-young-kids-food" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Baby Food Council</a> was created in 2019 to bring together major infant and toddler food companies and advocacy and research groups with the goal of reducing heavy metals in baby food products. They created a <a href="https://foodscience.cals.cornell.edu/industry-partnership-program/cifs-ipp-councils/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Baby Food Standard and Certification Program</a> to work collaboratively on testing and certification of raw ingredients. Ultimately, baby food makers will need to consider changing farm sources of raw ingredients, using fewer seasonings and altering processing practices.</p><p>The U.S. has made important inroads in reducing heavy metals in air and water since the 1980s, dramatically lowering exposure. With additional focus, it can further reduce heavy metal exposure in baby food, too.</p>
<p>
<em>C. Michael White is a distinguished professor and head of the department of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut.</em><br/>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: C. Michael White does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-safe-is-your-baby-food-company-reports-show-arsenic-lead-and-other-heavy-metals-heres-what-you-need-to-know-155443" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155443/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>From Your Site Articles
- Toxic Metals Contaminate All Baby Foods Tested: New Government ... ›
- 5 Kids' Snacks You Should Always Buy Organic - EcoWatch ›
- More Than a Third of Schools Tested Have 'Elevated Levels' of Lead ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Trump signs House Joint Resolution 41, removing some Dodd-Frank regulations on oil and gas companies, on Feb. 14, 2017. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
A new report by a commission of health experts found 22,000 deaths in 2019 were caused by Trump's failed environmental policies alone.
<p>The <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32545-9/fulltext" target="_blank">report</a> was published this week by <em>The Lancet</em>, an esteemed medical journal whose "wade into the politics behind health policy is highly unusual," <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-11/trump-s-environment-policies-killed-thousands-scientists-say" target="_blank">Bloomberg Green reported</a>. But while the journal's editor Richard Horton has faced <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01839-y" target="_blank">controversy</a> before, the study was co-authored by 33 scientists, signaling "a changing time," Gretchen Goldman, a research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-11/trump-s-environment-policies-killed-thousands-scientists-say" target="_blank">told Bloomberg Green</a>.</p><p>"If you told me four years ago that scientific journals would be speaking out against Trump, I wouldn't have believed you," Goldman told Bloomberg Green. "But since then, there has been quite a shift, reflecting both the severity of what Trump did as well as the changing willingness of the scientific community to engage in policy conversations."</p>
<p>During his administration, Trump rolled back 84 environmental regulations, the report notes as of July 2020 – rollbacks that ultimately "hastened global warming, and despoiled national monuments and lands sacred to Native people," <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32545-9/fulltext" target="_blank">the scientists wrote</a>.</p><p>Loosened restrictions on fine particulate matter <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution">air pollution</a> was probably the main cause of the thousands of deaths, <a href="http://www.thelancet-press.com/embargo/LancetTrumpCommission.pdf" target="_blank">according to the report</a>, harming communities in midwestern and southern states, where coal mining, oil drilling and natural gas extraction are prevalent. Many of these same communities have also overwhelmingly supported Trump.</p><p>Trump's exploitation of these communities gripped white, low-income and middle-income people's anger over "their deteriorating life prospects," banking on racism and xenophobia to gather support for his policies, <a href="http://www.thelancet-press.com/embargo/LancetTrumpCommission.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the report said</a>. But the "disturbing truth" is that many of Trump's policies were not radically new trends in the country's economic, health and social-political history, <a href="http://www.thelancet-press.com/embargo/LancetTrumpCommission.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the report finds</a>.</p>
<p>The Trump administration's policies rather accelerated a "decades-long trend of lagging life expectancy," particularly among Black and Indigenous people, impacted by lax restrictions on air pollution which are linked to health issues like asthma and pneumonia among children, heart disease and lung cancer, the scientists wrote.</p><p>In addition to outlining Trump's environmental policy, the report includes lengthy sections on the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration and racial disparities in health care. "I really think one of the accomplishments of the report is its historical truth-telling," said Dr. Mary T Bassett, a commission member and director of Harvard University's FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/10/us-coronavirus-response-donald-trump-health-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>The scientists in <em>The Lancet</em> report also recommend various policies the Biden administration could consider. They call for anti-racist frameworks that directly compensate communities who have long been disregarded in the country, and they call for the new administration to introduce measures that address the social and environmental inequalities that "exacerbate" health inequities.</p><p>So how quickly can we expect a new tide of equitable environmental policy in a new administration?</p><p>Americans should brace themselves because it may take a while, Kevin Minoli, who served as a lawyer at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency in the Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump administrations, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/climate/biden-environment.html" target="_blank">told The New York Times</a>.</p><p>"It's very possible, more possible than not, that some of the Trump rules will still be in effect for a couple of years," he added.</p>
<p>With an entirely new administration, environmental policies could be designed to protect the communities it has long disadvantaged. Early decisions by the Biden administration to cancel the construction permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and plans to restore protections over national monuments, like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, are promising steps forward.</p><p>But reversing much of what has been done over the past four years is a big job. Going forward, the U.S. must do so with "humility, and ambition," said John Kerry, the new White House climate envoy, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/climate/biden-environment.html" target="_blank">according to The New York Times</a>. "We really don't have a minute to waste."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Report Urges Biden to Reverse Trump's Environmental Rollbacks ... ›
- While We Focus on COVID-19, Trump's EPA Is Quietly Killing Us ... ›
- 12 Trump Attacks on the Environment Since the Election - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Volunteers distribute meals for Food Bank For New York on Jan. 30, 2021 in Staten Island, New York. Michael Loccisano / Getty Images for Food Bank For New York City
By Philip H. Howard and Mary Hendrickson
Agribusiness executives and government policymakers often praise the U.S. food system for producing abundant and affordable food. In fact, however, food costs are rising, and shoppers in many parts of the U.S. have limited access to fresh, healthy products.
<p>This isn't just an academic argument. Even before the current pandemic, millions of people in the U.S. went hungry. In 2019 the U.S. Department of Agriculture <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics/#householdtype" target="_blank">estimated</a> that <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics/" target="_blank">over 35 million people were "food insecure</a>," meaning they did not have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. Now <a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-hunger-coronavirus-pandemic-4c7f1705c6d8ef5bac241e6cc8e331bb" target="_blank">food banks</a> are struggling to feed people who have lost jobs and income due to COVID-19.</p><p>As rural sociologists, we study <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=V_pXnRUAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">changes in food systems</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=X8JjxZEAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sustainability</a>. We've closely followed corporate consolidation of food production, processing and distribution in the U.S. over the past 40 years. In our view, this process is making food less available or affordable for many Americans.</p>
<h2>Fewer, Larger Companies</h2><p>Consolidation has placed key decisions about our nation's food system in the hands of a few large companies, giving them <a href="http://www.ipes-food.org/_img/upload/files/Concentration_FullReport.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">outsized influence</a> to lobby policymakers, direct food and industry research and influence media coverage. These corporations also have enormous power to make decisions about what food is produced how, where and by whom, and who gets to eat it. We've tracked this trend <a href="https://www.globalagriculture.org/transformation-of-our-food-systems/book/updates/howard-hendrickson.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">across the globe</a>.</p><p>It began in the 1980s with mergers and acquisitions that left a few large firms <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/concentration-and-power-in-the-food-system-9781472581112/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dominating nearly every step of the food chain</a>. Among the largest are retailer <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Walmart</a>, food processor <a href="https://www.nestle.com/aboutus/overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nestlé</a> and seed/chemical firm <a href="https://www.bayer.com/en/crop-science/crop-science-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bayer</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTYyMjAyNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTk2OTk0NH0.iXAtybxB2ryJzIc1qyoNT0ByAKnFFGcjOM82haNOwnM/img.png?width=980" id="5fabc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a5032794f32683159245b661b17b87fa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="1006" />
Between 1996 and 2013 Monsanto acquired more than 70 seed companies, before the firm was itself acquired by competing seed/chemical firm Bayer in 2018. Philip Howard, CC BY-ND
<p>Some corporate leaders have abused their power – for example, by allying with their few competitors to fix prices. In 2020 Christopher Lischewski, the former president and CEO of Bumblebee Foods, was convicted of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/business/bumble-bee-tuna-price-fixing.html" target="_blank">conspiracy to fix prices of canned tuna</a>. He was sentenced to 40 months in prison and fined US$100,000.</p><p>In the same year, chicken processor <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pilgrim-s-pride-reaches-plea-agreement-with-justice-department-on-chicken-price-fixing-allegations-11602649655" target="_blank">Pilgrim's Pride</a> pleaded guilty to price-fixing charges and was fined $110.5 million. Meatpacking company <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/antitrust/jbs-settlement-of-pork-price-fixing-suit-is-worth-24-5-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JBS</a> settled a $24.5 million pork price-fixing lawsuit, and farmers won a class action settlement against peanut-shelling companies <a href="https://thecounter.org/price-fixing-peanut-farmers-lawsuit-georgia-antitrust-adm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Olam and Birdsong</a>.</p><p>Industry consolidation is hard to track. Many subsidiary firms often are <a href="https://philhoward.net/2020/09/24/organic-processing-industry-structure-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">controlled by one parent corporation</a> and engage in "contract packing," in which a single processing plant produces identical foods that are then sold under dozens of different brands – including labels that compete directly against each other.</p><p>Recalls ordered in response to food-borne disease outbreaks have revealed the broad scope of contracting relationships. Shutdowns at meatpacking plants due to COVID-19 infections among workers have shown how much of the U.S. food supply flows through <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/13-us-meat-plants-are-down-25percent-of-pork-and-10percent-of-beef/ar-BB1396Ys" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a small number of facilities</a>.</p><p>With consolidation, large supermarket chains have closed many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2010.510583" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">urban</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2016.1145006" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rural</a> stores. This process has left numerous communities with limited food selections and high prices – especially neighborhoods with many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.08.005" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">low-income</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302113" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Black or Latino</a> households.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7f030d03a9ae61ca3086ba2de466f1f7"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y0dCgGGdSCU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<h2>Widespread Hunger</h2><p>As unemployment has risen during the pandemic, so has the number of hungry Americans. <a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Feeding America</a>, a nationwide network of food banks, estimates that <a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/coronavirus-hunger-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">up to 50 million people</a> – including 17 million children – may currently be experiencing food insecurity. Nationwide, demand at food banks <a href="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/12/10/unprecedented-need-san-antonio-food-bank-has-seen-30-increase-in-demand-since-onset-of-covid-19-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">grew by over 48%</a> during the first half of 2020.</p><p>Simultaneously, disruptions in food supply chains forced farmers to <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-farmers-are-dumping-milk-down-the-drain-and-letting-produce-rot-in-fields-136567" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dump milk down the drain</a>, leave produce rotting in fields and euthanize livestock that could not be processed at slaughterhouses. We <a href="https://farmactionalliance.org/concentrationreport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">estimate</a> that between March and May of 2020, farmers disposed of somewhere between 300,000 and 800,000 hogs and 2 million chickens – more than 30,000 tons of meat.</p><p>What role does concentration play in this situation? Research shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jby026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">retail concentration</a> correlates with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.20058" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">higher prices for consumers</a>. It also shows that when food systems have fewer production and processing sites, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-015-0292-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disruptions can have major impacts on supply</a>.</p><p>Consolidation makes it easier for any industry to maintain high prices. With few players, companies simply match each other's price increases rather than competing with them. Concentration in the U.S. food system has raised the costs of everything from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200530152228/http:/www.zwickcenter.uconn.edu/documents/issuepapers/ip6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">breakfast cereal</a> and <a href="https://www.ceoafterlife.com/marketing/why-price-fixing-continues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coffee</a> to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/486606/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">beer</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTYyMjAzMS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzE3ODIxMH0.sPf0-Gs3Yu-PweQXWNMmKa3M1Mh1Gi6wILig7n9Uor8/img.png?width=980" id="fcfd6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0fb0ca0f66ee58147d4724b5f18401c9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="1656" />
The combined share of sales for the top four firms (CR4) for selected U.S. commodities, food processing/manufacturing and distribution/retail channels. Family Farm Action Alliance, CC BY-ND
<p>As the pandemic roiled the nation's food system through 2020, consumer food costs <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings.aspx" target="_blank">rose by 3.4%</a>, compared to 0.4% in 2018 and 0.9% in 2019. We expect retail prices to remain high because they are "<a href="https://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/crs/R41224.pdf" target="_blank">sticky</a>," with a tendency to increase rapidly but to decline more slowly and only partially.</p><p>We also believe there could be further supply disruptions. A few months into the pandemic, meat shelves in some U.S. stores sat empty, while some of the nation's largest processors were <a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/oversight/letters/warren-booker-open-investigation-into-meatpackers-manipulation-of-covid-19-crisis-to-raise-prices-and-exploit-workers" target="_blank">exporting record amounts of meat to China</a>. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., cited this imbalance as evidence of the need to crack down on what they called "<a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-booker-release-information-from-their-investigation-into-giant-meatpackers-exploiting-workers-and-consumers-during-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">monopolistic practices</a>" by Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS and Smithfield, which dominate the U.S. meatpacking industry.</p><p>Tyson Foods <a href="https://thefeed.blog/2020/07/21/sharing-our-commitment-to-team-member-safety-with-elected-officials-leaders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">responded</a> that a large portion of its exports were "cuts of meat or portions of the animal that are not desired by" Americans. Store shelves are no longer empty for most cuts of meat, but processing plants remain <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2020/12/29/beef-market-still-feeling-the-effects-of-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">overbooked</a>, with many scheduling well into 2021.</p>
<h2>Toward a More Equitable Food System</h2><p>In our view, a resilient food system that feeds everyone can be achieved only through a more <a href="http://www.ipes-food.org/_img/upload/files/Concentration_FullReport.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">equitable distribution of power</a>. This in turn will require action in areas ranging from contract law and antitrust policy to workers' rights and economic development. Farmers, workers, elected officials and communities will have to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10092-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">work together</a> to fashion alternatives and change policies.</p>
<div id="70f06" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0ad2c7889762034b2a9b13f62d664aa4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1354861566777294853" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">[email protected] is seeking members for a new advisory committee on urban agriculture, part of a broader effort to focus on t… https://t.co/WnMy3KjGld</div> — Farmers.gov (@Farmers.gov)<a href="https://twitter.com/FarmersGov/statuses/1354861566777294853">1611859144.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The goal should be to produce more locally sourced food with shorter and less-centralized supply chains. Detroit offers an example. Over the past <a href="https://tostadamagazine.com/2018/02/28/history-in-photos-detroits-farm-a-lot-program-set-the-stage-for-urban-gardening-movement/" target="_blank">50 years</a>, food producers there have established <a href="https://visitdetroit.com/urban-farming-detroit/" target="_blank">more than 1,900 urban farms and gardens</a>. A planned <a href="https://detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com/about-us/" target="_blank">community-owned food co-op</a> will serve the city's North End, whose residents are predominantly low- and moderate-income and African American.</p><p>The federal government can help by <a href="https://www.rma.usda.gov/en/Policy-and-Procedure/Insurance-Plans/Whole-Farm-Revenue-Protection" target="_blank">adapting farm support programs</a> to target farms and businesses that <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">serve local and regional markets</a>. State and federal incentives can build community- or cooperative-owned farms and processing and distribution businesses. Ventures like these could provide economic development opportunities while <a href="https://planning.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Baltimore%20City%20Food%20Resilience.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">making the food system more resilient</a>.</p><p>In our view, the best solutions will come from listening to and working with the people most affected: sustainable farmers, farm and food service workers, entrepreneurs and cooperators – and ultimately, the people whom they feed.</p>
<p>
<em>Philip H. Howard is an associate professor of community sustainability at Michigan State University.<br/>
Mary Hendrickson is an a</em><em>ssociate professor of rural sociology at the University of Missouri-Columbia.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statements: Philip H. Howard is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, and a member of the Rural Sociological Society. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture. </em><em>Mary Hendrickson is a member of the Rural Sociological Society, Agriculture Food and Human Values Society, and serves on the North Central Region SARE Administrative Council. She has received funding from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA's Sustainable Agriculture and Research Program and various foundations.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/corporate-concentration-in-the-us-food-system-makes-food-more-expensive-and-less-accessible-for-many-americans-151193" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151193/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>From Your Site Articles
- How Can the Biden Administration Fix America's Broken Food ... ›
- Report: Global Food Chain Increasingly Threatened by Corporate ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
A Congressional report reveals high levels of toxic metals in common baby foods. Jose Luis Pelaez Inc. / DigitalVision / Getty Images
A new Congressional report presents some disturbing information about the contents of popular baby foods, including some organic brands.
<p>Toxic metals <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/arsenic" target="_self">arsenic</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/lead" target="_self">lead</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/cadmium" target="_self">cadmium</a>, and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mercury" target="_self">mercury</a> were all present at levels beyond what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers safe for other products. Yet infants are particularly susceptible to these toxins, which can impair their neurological development and have lifelong impacts on their ability to earn a living and avoid criminal behavior.</p><p>"No level of exposure to these metals has been shown to be safe in vulnerable infants," Linda McCauley, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/health/baby-food-metals-arsenic.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>The report was published Thursday by the House Oversight Committee's subcommittee on economic and consumer policy. It was prompted by a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/toxic-metals-baby-food-2641003126.html" target="_self">2019 report</a> from Healthy Babies Bright Futures, which found that heavy metals were present in 95 percent of commercially available baby foods.</p><p>"What they did was take food off store shelves and test it. We said we should go straight to the companies and ask for their materials," subcommittee Chair Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/04/toxic-metals-baby-food/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p>
<p>The subcommittee requested internal testing data from Nurture, Beech-Nut, Hain, Gerber, Campbell, Walmart and Sprout Foods. The first four companies agreed to the request, while Campbell, Walmart and Sprout did not.</p><p>Arsenic, lead, and cadmium were found in the products of all the responding companies, while mercury was found in products from Nurture, the only company that tested for it.</p><p>The impacted products were:</p><ol><li>Nurture (HappyBABY), which sold products with as much as 180 parts per billion (ppb) arsenic, 641 ppb lead, more than five ppb cadmium and as much as 10 ppb mercury.</li><li>Hain (Earth's Best Organic), which sold products with as much as 129 ppb arsenic and used ingredients with as much as 309 ppb arsenic. It also used ingredients containing as much as 352 ppb lead and 260 ppb cadmium.</li><li>Beech-Nut, which used ingredients that included as much as 913.4 ppb arsenic, 886.9 ppb lead and 344.55 ppb cadmium.</li><li>Gerber, which used rice flour containing more than 90 ppb arsenic, ingredients with as much as 48 ppb lead and carrots with as much as 87 ppb cadmium.</li></ol>
<p>The FDA has currently only set one legal limit for toxic metals in baby food, according to The New York Times. It requires that rice cereal not have more than 100 ppb arsenic. However, many of the ingredients tested far exceeded the legal limits set by the government for drinking water. The FDA limits for bottled water are 10 ppb inorganic arsenic, 5 ppb lead, and 5 ppb cadmium, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has mandated there be no more than 2 ppb mercury in drinking water.</p><p>"The test results of baby foods and their ingredients eclipse those levels: including results up to 91 times the arsenic level, up to 177 times the lead level, up to 69 times the cadmium level, and up to 5 times the mercury level," the report authors wrote.</p>
<p>The report addressed corporate practices that might contribute to these high numbers. First, companies set high maximum levels for toxins. For example, Nurture set its internal standard for arsenic in rice cereal at 15 percent above the FDA standard. Second, companies still sell products that surpass their internal standards. Third, companies often test just the ingredients, not the final product. Finally, additives like minerals can increase the presence of toxic metals in baby foods.</p><p>The subcommittee expressed concerns about the products of the companies who had not submitted reports.</p><p>"For the companies that didn't participate, it raises the concern that they might possess information that indicates the toxic metals in their foods might be even higher than their competitors," Krishnamoorthi told The Washington Post.</p>
<p>The report authors made four recommendations:</p><ol><li>The FDA should require baby food makers to test their finished products, not just their ingredients.</li><li>The FDA should require baby food makers to label their products with the amounts of toxic metals present.</li><li>Baby food makers should phase out or find substitutes for ingredients that have high values of toxic metals, like rice.</li><li>The FDA should set maximum thresholds for toxic metals in baby foods.</li><li>Parents should avoid baby foods that contain high levels of toxic metals.</li></ol><p>However, the representatives acknowledged that parents need support to make informed decisions.</p><p>"The FDA must set standards and regulate this industry much more closely, starting now. It's shocking that parents are basically being completely left in the lurch by their government," Krishnamoorthi told The Washington Post.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Baby Food Tests Find 68 Percent Contain 'Worrisome' Levels of ... ›
- Arsenic and Other Toxins Found in 80% of Baby Formulas - EcoWatch ›
- 5 Kids' Snacks You Should Always Buy Organic - EcoWatch ›
- How Safe Is Your Baby Food? Here’s What You Need to Know About Arsenic, Lead and Other Heavy Metals - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
A new report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund notes that most school buses in the U.S. run on diesel, a fossil fuel linked to numerous health problems. FatCamera / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
While some students are still learning remotely or on hybrid schedules due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the climate emergency hasn't suddenly disappeared because of the devastating public health crisis—meaning neither has the need to radically and rapidly transform society.
<p>The sweeping transformation that <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/12/nature-under-siege-scientists-sound-alarm-about-insect-apocalypse" target="_blank">study</a> after <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/28/climate-campaigners-say-listen-science-new-study-shows-earth-now-warmer-any-time" target="_blank">study</a> signals is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/13/dire-assessment-scientists-warn-humanity-denial-looming-collapse-civilization-we" target="_blank">necessary</a> for the future of the planet and all of its inhabitants includes electrifying the transportation sector. A report out Tuesday details opportunities to aid that effort by shifting to zero-emissions electric school buses.</p><p>The new <a href="https://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/US_EL%20buses%202021%20scrn_0.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> from the Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund notes that "the vast majority of school buses in the United States run on diesel, a fossil fuel that has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including asthma, bronchitis, and cancer."</p><p>Along with the <a href="https://eos.org/research-spotlights/the-climate-and-health-impacts-of-gasoline-and-diesel-emissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">impacts</a> on human health, diesel exhaust is also a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. While there are multiple benefits to shifting to more health- and climate-friendly buses, there are also barriers. As the report explains:</p><blockquote>The technology is here, and electric school buses are ready to roll, but the question remains: how do schools pay for them? While electric buses can save schools money over the lifespan of the bus, the initial price tag of a new electric bus can turn many schools off to the idea of electrification. In many cases, assistance from federal grant programs and loans are needed in order to finance such a purchase. In addition to these programs, utility investment, financing strategies, and vehicle-to-grid technology provide promising opportunities that can help schools ease the transition and accelerate toward a zero-emission electric future.<br></blockquote>
<p>Ethan Evans, U.S. PIRG Education Fund Transportation associate, emphasized in a statement Tuesday that "while electric buses can save and even earn schools money over the lifespan of the bus, the initial price tag often presents a hurdle for cash-strapped districts. Utility investment would help ease the transition and accelerate us toward a zero-emission electric future."</p><p>The report points out that not only is a large-scale shift to electric buses better for public health and the planet, it could also benefit school districts as well as utility companies that could assist with transition costs. "Electric buses can expand and stabilize the grid, provide surplus energy storage, and increase energy demand," the report says. "By providing discounted rates on electric bus charging and building charging infrastructure, utilities can help speed the adoption of electric buses."</p><p>"Utilities can also support electric buses by investing in infrastructure for bus charging in depots and on routes, helping to finance the upfront purchasing costs of electric buses, and introducing smart charging systems to maximize integration of renewable energy," the report adds, noting examples where such efforts are already underway in <a href="https://kykn.com/2019/11/12/pge-bringing-first-electric-school-buses-to-the-region/" target="_blank">Oregon</a> and <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dominion-energy-rolls-out-more-electric-school-buses/ar-BB1cTWTJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virginia</a>.</p><p>The report highlights vehicle-to-grid technology that enables buses to send stored energy back to the grid and Pay-As-You-Save (or PAYS) agreements in which a utility company covers the initial cost of shifting to new technology that the customer repays over the buses' lifespans as "particularly promising options."</p><p>"By pairing vehicle-to-grid technology and PAYS, each electric bus could save school districts up to $130,000 per electric bus," according to the report, which includes lists of recommendations for school districts, lawmakers, and utility companies to boost the use of electric buses on a national scale.</p>
<div id="0299a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b603864ae73cae8d0f2289fc5704cb33"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1356602192199835648" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Upgrading to 100% electric school bus fleets by 2030 is achievable and affordable, our new report from finds. Pay-a… https://t.co/YxDwwDlu55</div> — U.S. PIRG (@U.S. PIRG)<a href="https://twitter.com/uspirg/statuses/1356602192199835648">1612274141.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>As Morgan Folger, Environment America Research and Policy Center Destination: Zero Carbon campaign director, put it: "Only by working together can we tackle the existential threat of climate change and accelerate the process towards a zero-emission future."</p><p>Schools are urged to "commit to transitioning to 100% all-electric buses by 2030, with a plan to phase out the purchase of new diesel buses immediately." District leaders should "use any and all financing methods available" to deliver on their pledges—including by engaging with local utility companies.</p><p>Utility companies are called on to commit to renewable energy, reduce emissions, increase grid capacity, and assist in transition efforts, including with vehicle-to-grid technology and PAYS pilot programs. Lawmakers, the report says, must "work with utilities and regulators to develop effective electric bus investment programs that protect ratepayers and consumers."</p><p>The report further calls on elected officials to develop grant programs for the transition to electric buses, tighten fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards, and subsidize research and development in related technology, including vehicle-to-grid.</p>
<p>As the groups published their joint report on Tuesday, the Senate <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/536914-senate-confirms-buttigieg-as-transportation-secretary" target="_blank">confirmed</a> Pete Buttigieg, President Joe Biden's pick to run the Department of Transportation. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana—who faced off against Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race but ultimately dropped out and endorsed him—has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/climate/buttigieg-climate-transportation.html" target="_blank">vowed</a> to make climate a key priority in his new role.</p><p>"Ultimately, we cannot afford not to act on climate," Buttigieg <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/02/uts-greenhouse-gas-reduction-center-biden-transportation-policy" target="_blank">told</a> senators at a confirmation hearing when asked about his support for the Green New Deal. "The question becomes: How can we do that in a way that creates economic benefit in the near term, as well as preventing catastrophe in the long term?"</p><p>Part of the solution, the report suggests, is greening the way students get to school.</p><p>"Our kids deserve a world without diesel emissions," said Folger. Evans concurred, declaring that "getting to school shouldn't include a daily dose of toxic pollution."</p><p>"With school districts, lawmakers, and utilities all working together," Evans added, "we can make the switch to all-electric school buses and give our kids a healthier ride to school."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/02/kids-deserve-world-without-diesel-emissions-report-offers-roadmap-electric-school" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p><span></span><a href="https://commons.commondreams.org/t/kids-deserve-a-world-without-diesel-emissions-report-offers-roadmap-for-electric-school-bus-transition/87130" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://commons.commondreams.org/t/kids-deserve-a-world-without-diesel-emissions-report-offers-roadmap-for-electric-school-bus-transition/87130" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a>From Your Site Articles
- Buses Are the Electric Vehicle Everyone Should Be Talking About ... ›
- Nation's First Electric Bus Picks Up California Students - EcoWatch ›
- San Francisco Seeks 100% Electric Bus Fleet by 2035 - EcoWatch ›
- Ask a Scientist: Electric Vehicles are the Cleanest Option Today - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
New Charges Over Flint’s Water Crisis Offer Only a Trickle of Justice
02 February
Insights + Opinion
People gather in front of a church before participating in a national mile-long march to highlight the push for clean water in Flint on Feb. 19, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. The march was organized in part by Rev. Jesse Jackson. Bill Pugliano / Getty Images
By Derrick Z. Jackson
No punishment has yet fit the crime of the Flint water crisis, complete with its child poisoning and lethal outbreak of Legionnaire's disease. After a prior investigation fell apart in 2019, Michigan state prosecutors unveiled a slew of fresh charges against nine figures involved in the fateful penny-pinching move to switch Flint's water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in 2014. The river's waters, made corrosive from decades of industrial pollution, ate at Flint's old water pipes, releasing lead into drinking water and into the brains of thousands of children.
<p>Lead is a neurotoxin with irreversible effects and is not safe to ingest at any level. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/us/politics/flint-michigan-schools.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> and <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/in-flint-schools-overwhelmed-by-special-ed-needs-in-aftermath-of-lead-crisis/2019/08" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Education Week</a> reported in 2019 that the percentage of Flint's school children who qualified for individualized special education services more than doubled from 13 percent before the crisis to 28 percent after. Add to those victims, the one dozen people who did not survive their bouts with Legionnaire's disease, a type of pneumonia that scientists linked to the water supply switch. The PBS program <em>Frontline</em> determined in 2019 that a total of 115 Flint residents had died of <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/interactive/how-we-found-dozens-of-uncounted-deaths-during-flint-water-crisis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pneumonia</a> during the outbreak, suggesting deaths attributed to Legionnaire's had been undercounted, potentially by up to a factor of nearly 10.</p>
<p>Seven of the nine defendants — which include former state health and communications officials, former state-appointed emergency managers, and an ex-Flint public works manager — are staring down 5 to 15 years in prison for crimes including involuntary manslaughter and perjury. Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, however, only <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/us/rick-snyder-flint-water-charges.html" target="_blank">faces</a> two relatively <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/documents/ag/GJ_Indictment_-_Snyder_R_712955_7.pdf" target="_blank">minor counts</a> of willfully neglecting to intervene in his underlings' incompetence and failing to adequately protect the public against disaster.</p><p><span></span>In theory, Snyder could end up in prison for a year, and prosecutors say it is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rick-snyder-more-indictments-possible-flint-water-case-hammoud-says-2021-1" target="_blank">possible</a> he could face more charges. Without them, he would be getting off easy for being asleep at the wheel during one of the greatest instances of environmental injustice in recent American memory.</p><p>Or was he truly "asleep"? Snyder's excuse during the crisis and ever since is that he never knew enough to stop the falling dominoes of decisions and cover-ups happening underneath him. Yet plenty of circumstantial documentation begs the contrary.</p><p>The City of Flint switched its water supply to the Flint River in April 2014. Snyder <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-114hhrg25714/pdf/CHRG-114hhrg25714.pdf" target="_blank">testified</a> to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in March of 2016, saying it was not until October 2015 that he learned that Flint's drinking water had dangerous levels of lead and not until early 2016 that he became aware of the Legionnaire's disease epidemic. "As soon as I became aware of it," Snyder said, "we held a press conference the next day."</p><p>However, Tim Walberg, a congressman from Michigan and member of the House Oversight Committee confronted his fellow Republican with documents indicating that senior state environmental and communications officials were emailing about concerns regarding a Legionnaire's outbreak in Flint back in March 2015.</p><p>The Detroit Free Press, <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/02/04/apnewsbreak-officials-warned-of-water-legionnaires-link/79828466/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reporting on documents obtained by Progress Michigan, </a>a watchdog group, cited a March 10, 2015, email from the environmental health supervisor of Genesee County, where Flint is the most populous city, saying that the dozens of Legionnaire's cases diagnosed at the time "closely corresponds with the timeframe of the switch to Flint River water." (The bacteria that causes Legionnaires is naturally occurring in many water systems across the country, and one water expert believes the switch over likely <a href="https://www.abc12.com/2021/01/13/water-expert-mclaren-flints-legionnaires-disease-problem-made-worse-by-flint-water-crisis/#:~:text=A%20total%20of%2090%20Legionnaires,by%20the%20water%20source%20switch." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">exacerbated an existing bacterial issue</a> with the supply.) The supervisor characterized the epidemic as a "significant and urgent public health issue" and said the information was "explicitly explained" to Snyder's environmental quality officials.</p><p>This month, the online investigative news site The Intercept <a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/01/13/flint-michigan-rick-snyder-legionnaires/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">detailed a series of back-and-forth phone calls</a> dating back even earlier, to October 2014, between Snyder and his chief of staff Dennis Muchmore. Those calls occurred at the same time Muchmore was in dialogue with top state health officials, which included a phone call with someone at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. A special prosecutor characterized that call as "presumably about the outbreak." That call took place more than a year before Snyder told Congress he had found out about the deadly bacteria.</p><p>That same month that General Motors realized that the switch away from the Huron River was corroding new engine parts at its Flint plant. How much logic — or humanity — should it have taken to proactively wonder what the water was doing to residents, especially children, given what it was doing to car parts?</p>
<p>The Detroit Free Press <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/02/26/flint-water-crisis-snyder-detroit/80926138/" target="_blank">reported</a> that Valerie Brader, senior policy adviser and deputy legal counsel to Snyder, wrote other top aides in an October 14, 2014, email that Flint's water was "an urgent matter to fix," and that the supply should switch back to Lake Huron water delivered via Detroit's regional system. Michael Gadola, then Snyder's chief legal counsel, <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2021/01/12/flint-water-rick-snyder-criminal-charges/6645359002/" target="_blank">responded</a>: "My Mom is a City resident. Nice to know she's drinking water with elevated chlorine levels and fecal coliform." Gadola, who today is a Michigan state appeals court judge, agreed Flint "should try to get back on the Detroit system as a stopgap ASAP before this thing gets too far out of control."</p><p>Yet somehow Snyder allegedly knew little or nothing of these discussions swirling about him. Two major reports have concluded the buck stopped with him. A Flint Water Task Force <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/FWATF_FINAL_REPORT_21March2016_517805_7.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>, which Snyder himself commissioned, said in 2016 that while the state's environmental agency bore "primary responsibility" for causing the Flint water crisis, Snyder bore "ultimate accountability" for decisions coming out of his office.</p><p>Then a 2018 <a href="https://www.debeaumont.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/FlintReport.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> by the University of Michigan's School of Public Health concluded Snyder bore "significant legal responsibility" for failing to heed citizen complaints at the outset of the crisis, issue a timely emergency declaration, and wrest control from negligent state environmental and health officials. "Flint residents' complaints were not hidden from the governor," the report's authors wrote. "He had a responsibility to listen and respond."</p><p>Snyder, however, has been so unscathed by what happened in Flint that Harvard's Kennedy School of Government <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/01/politics/rick-snyder-harvard-fellowship/index.html" target="_blank">awarded</a> him a prestigious research fellowship in 2019. But <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/01/backlash-ex-gov-rick-snyder-headed-harvard-fellowship/1617549001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">howls</a> from Flint, and an online protest <a href="https://www.change.org/p/people-who-care-about-human-rights-rescind-governor-snyder-s-harvard-kennedy-school-fellowship?signed=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">petition</a> started by a Kennedy School alum and signed by <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/03/snyder-turns-down-harvard-offer-amid-flint-backlash/1640119001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nearly 7,000</a> people forced Snyder <a href="https://apnews.com/article/b53327a6064c4266a7ee5ef8f5a2215e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to withdraw from the fellowship</a> two days after it began.</p><p>The renewed spotlight on Snyder's role in the water crisis comes at a critical time for those who work for environmental justice. Newly inaugurated President Biden has, on paper, given it unprecedented prominence in his federal agenda. Many nominees for his Cabinet have <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/derrick-jackson/the-environmental-justice-movement-moves-front-and-center-in-the-biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">scored</a> significant victories for communities dealing with pollution, including his nominee for attorney general, Merrick Garland, who would oversee the creation of the first environmental and climate justice unit within the Department of Justice.</p><p>Snyder's blithe attitude about Flint symbolizes the urgency with which a Biden administration must make it clear to politicians and corporations that it is no longer business-as-usual to dump on poor people and communities made up predominately of people of color. At the federal level, Biden <a href="https://joebiden.com/environmental-justice-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">promises</a> a Justice Department that will "hold corporate executives personally accountable — including jail time where merited." That is a heavy lift in a nation where corporate executives largely continue to live large no matter how many faulty planes drop out of the sky, how many defective cars kill people, how many predatory banking practices cause people to lose their homes and life savings, and how many particles of pollution causes cancer and brain damage. CEOs might get fired, they might get fined, but they rarely face bars.</p><p>A <a href="https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3149&context=faculty_scholarship" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">paper</a> last year by legal scholars from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California noted "the near disappearance of individual liability, especially for top executives," in corporate crimes over the last decade. It concluded that "an enforcement regime that is limited in its ability to levy fines at an optimal level must rely on other forms of punishment — such as the imposition of liability on guilty individuals and the top executives who facilitate their crimes — to increase deterrence. Only then will corporate criminal punishment be seen as more than a cost of doing business."</p><p>Similarly, Cary Coglianese and Sierra Blazer of the Penn Program on Regulation at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, co-wrote <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/441216-putting-ceos-on-the-hook-can-boost-airplane-safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a 2019 op-ed in The Hill</a> during the height of the scandals surrounding Boeing, after two of its 737 Max planes crashed, killing 346 passengers and crew members. Donald Trump's Department of Justice had prosecuted lower-level technical pilots for fraud related to the federal approval process of the Max. "Prosecutions of lower-level employees would do nothing to assure the public that incentives at the very top of the organization align with passenger safety," the pair wrote.</p><p>This month, Trump's Justice Department <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/boeing-agrees-to-pay-25-billion-to-resolve-federal-criminal-charge-over-737-max-conspiracy/2021/01/07/4a090fdc-512d-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> a $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the fraud charges. No executive went to jail. Nadia Milleron, who lost her daughter, Samya Stumo, summed up the outcome for the Washington Post: "This is just a blip for Boeing."</p><p>To-date, the Flint water crisis has been a blip for Snyder. Environmental injustice nationally will also remain a blip, if governors and CEOs can keep throwing underlings under the bus while riding off in their limousines. As it now stands, the prosecution of lower-level employees will not assure Flint residents who live with the effects of being poisoned that the law is aligned with their safety.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from the author and <a href="https://grist.org/justice/michigan-rick-snyder-flint-water-crisis/" target="_blank">Grist</a>.</em></p>
Read More
Show Less
Families worried about possible long-term effects of pandemic-related disruption can learn from these proven strategies. SDI Productions / Getty Images
By Amanda Sheffield Morris and Jennifer Hays-Grudo
Parents are dealing with huge demands on their time and energy. Children may not be attending school or involved in regular activities. As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on families, routines have collapsed, patience is wearing thin and self-care is a distant memory.
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0000177-000" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Decades of research</a> have <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7ML3dNEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank">taught</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BHBN1dUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra" target="_blank">us</a> that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8" target="_blank">adversity during childhood</a> has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4" target="_blank">damaging effects on health and development</a>. Many studies have shown that kids who have faced abuse, neglect and family conflict struggle forming friendships, have academic difficulties and face physical and mental health problems in adolescence and adulthood.</p><p>Fortunately, developmental scientists have identified ways to help children <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Handbook+of+Child+Psychology+and+Developmental+Science%2C+Volume+3%2C+Socioemotional+Processes%2C+7th+Edition-p-9781118953891" target="_blank">survive and thrive</a> <a href="https://www.guilford.com/books/Ordinary-Magic/Ann-Masten/9781462523719" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">during times of adversity</a>. The beneficial effects of protective and nurturing experiences are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03110-7_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">powerful antidotes to stress and adversity</a> and prepare children to cope with hard times for years to come.</p><p>Families worried about possible long-term effects of pandemic-related disruption can learn from these proven strategies. Here are 10 ways parents can foster children's resilience during challenging times.</p>
<h2>1. Connect With One Another</h2><p>Make time to talk, listen and play without distractions. Be sure children know they are loved unconditionally. This can include taking breaks to check in during the day when learning and working at home, having a special bedtime routine that includes talking about the day, taking walks together, or playing favorite games. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/13948-000" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Making the effort to connect</a> helps children know they're valued and creates a sense of security.</p><h2>2. Support Children's Friendships</h2><p>Think about ways for children to play together outdoors, talk via technology or play a video game virtually with friends. Some families are creating safe zones or bubbles, where they allow children to pick a close friend or two whose family is practicing recommended coronavirus precautions that they can interact with more closely. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025401" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Maintaining friendships</a> gives children opportunities to learn from peers and reduces stress, providing support and acceptance.</p><h2>3. Find Ways Children Can Help Others</h2><p>Talk about how others are also struggling. Encourage them to donate toys they've outgrown, save money for a special cause or help a neighbor with errands like shopping, bringing in mail, doing yardwork or dog-walking. When you do things for others in the community, include your children and talk about why you do it. This helps children <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.1996.tb00073.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">learn about the needs of others and cultivates empathy</a>.</p><h2>4. Help Children Stay Involved in Clubs or Groups</h2><p>Some groups that work well during a pandemic include outdoor Scouting, Zoom clubs and other special-interest clubs such as outdoor sports, fishing, hiking or biking. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.4.698" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Being part of a group</a> helps children feel a sense of belonging and promotes identity development. It can also help build morals and values and even promote academic success.</p>
<h2>5. Stay in Touch With Important Adults</h2><p>Children benefit from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20106" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">relationships with other grown-ups</a>, like grandparents and teachers. They can be another source of support and someone to talk to about problems or successes. They're particularly important when parents are unavailable due to work or other obligations. Help kids stay connected through Zoom, email, phone calls, FaceTime and special activities like outdoor events. Some social media groups have targeted programs to link children with others to play games or chat.</p><h2>6. Keep Up With Hobbies</h2><p>Boredom is a parent's worst enemy. Having an enjoyable hobby is rewarding for kids; it provides engaging leisure time and opportunities to master something. Such activities provide connections with others, can teach discipline and how to manage one's emotions and behavior, and promote self-esteem. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1757913917712283" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Explore art, music</a>, science projects, writing, chess and other hobbies that develop physical, artistic and intellectual skills while providing hours of enjoyment.</p><h2>7. Be Physically Active</h2><p>Make exercise a part of family routines. Take walks or ride bikes, play active video games like Wii, go to the park, stretch or do yoga together. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2013.780505" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Exercise has many of the same benefits</a> as hobbies. It also helps children handle the physical effects of stress on the body and improves mood and mental health.</p><h2>8. Create Routines</h2><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/4-good-practices-for-anyone-caring-for-quarantined-kids-135626" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Routines are a powerful nonverbal signal</a> to children's brains that they are safe and that life is predictable. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/01.IYC.0000290352.32170.5a" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Keeping a routine</a> can reduce the number of conflicts, and children know what to do and expect during different points of the day.</p><p>Create and display (together, ideally) daily or weekly calendars with words or pictures that remind children when learning, playing, resting, sleeping and eating activities occur. Invent little rituals that comfort as well as accomplish goals, especially at bedtime: read, tell stories, sing a special song, say a prayer or list loved ones. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.002" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Such activities ensure better sleep</a> than allowing children to drift off watching a video. Children may push back if they've gotten used to less structure during the day, but most will welcome knowing what to expect.</p>
<h2>9. Keep Realistic Expectations for Learning</h2><p>Children's involvement in schooling varies widely during the pandemic, with some hardly affected and others learning entirely at home. Virtual schooling requires parents to be more involved than before – monitoring assignments, checking in during the day and seeking help when children are struggling.</p><p>While schoolwork is indeed important, not all learning takes place in class. Involve children in opportunities to learn during everyday tasks such as cooking (measuring, timing), gardening, shopping (figuring sales prices, adding), and games (cards, dominoes, board games) that build memory and thinking skills. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.11.018" target="_blank">Read with your child every day</a>. Depending on the level of the book, you can read to your child or take turns reading pages.</p><h2>10. Maintain a Healthy and Safe Home</h2><p>In addition to maintaining COVID-19 precautions, make nutritious meals, declutter and organize toys, games, hobby supplies and learning materials. Find ways to involve children in preparing meals, organizing their work and play spaces, cleaning up after activities, and sharing in conversations about family rules. Chaos and clutter are the enemies of calm. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000087" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Creating safe and orderly spaces</a> helps children manage stress. Eating healthy foods together benefits physical and mental health.</p><h2>Parenting in the Time of Coronavirus</h2><p>Many parents naturally do the things listed above. However, with increased stress and demands on time, these activities are difficult to maintain. Now is a good time to pick a few of these strategies and get back on track.</p><p><span></span>Every family is different, and what's appropriate <a href="http://www.acesandpaces.com/uploads/6/4/3/1/64312853/morris___hays-grudo_parent_tips_during_covid-19.pdf" target="_blank">differs by children's ages</a>, whether infants and toddlers, school-age children or teens and young adults. But adjusted for age and circumstances, these tried-and-true techniques can help youngsters make it through tough times and come out the other side OK.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amanda-sheffield-morris-1183546" target="_blank">Amanda Sheffield Morris</a> is a </em><em>Professor of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jennifer-hays-grudo-1183558" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jennifer Hays-Grudo</a> is a </em><em>Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Oklahoma State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>Jennifer Hays-Grudo receives funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM109097. </em><em>Amanda Sheffield Morris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/10-parenting-strategies-to-reduce-your-kids-pandemic-stress-151419" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><iframe height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151419/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1"></iframe>
Read More
Show Less
Trending
A new study invites parents of cancer patients to answer questions about their environment. FatCamera / Getty Images
By Jennifer Sass, Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Dr. Philip J. Landrigan and Simon Strong
"Prevention is the cure for child/teen cancer." This is the welcoming statement on a website called 'TheReasonsWhy.Us', where families affected by childhood cancers can sign up for a landmark new study into the potential environmental causes.
<p>The study is a joint project between Texas Children's Hospital, part of the world's largest medical center, and The Oliver Foundation, founded by the parents of a 12-year-old boy who died 36 hours after he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, one week after the onset of headaches.</p><p>After signing up, participants are contacted by the hospital's medical school, <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/news/baylor-launches-landmark-online-pediatric-cancer-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Baylor College of Medicine</a>, to fill out a questionnaire about their environment going back from pre-conception through pregnancy and childhood, to identify chemical contaminants in the places that they live, learn, work and play, to the point where they developed cancer.</p><p><a href="https://www.texaschildrens.org/find-a-doctor/michael-scheurer-phd-mph" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr. Michael Scheurer</a>, director of the childhood cancer epidemiology and prevention program at Texas Children's Hospital, the nation's largest pediatric cancer center, is quoted in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/30/toxic-america-families-seek-answers-childhood-cancers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> saying: "[This research] … will allow families who might not live near one of the existing study centers to participate as they are comfortable. In the end, if we see that several kinds of cancers share some risk factors that's important information, but we want to start with a very homogeneous group of cancers and start looking into these patients first. Signposts will pop up along the way."</p><p>When Oliver died in 2015, his parents Simon and Vilma Strong struggled to understand what may have led to their son's cancer, and whether it could have been prevented. They agonized over having used Roundup – the herbicide containing glyphosate, which is <a href="https://www.iarc.who.int/featured-news/media-centre-iarc-news-glyphosate/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">linked to leukemia</a> – to kill weeds in their yard and garden. Or could it have been the crumb rubber artificial turf athletic fields, made with toxic petrochemicals, where their goalkeeper son had played soccer?</p>
<p>In addition to cancer, exposures to harmful chemicals can lead to learning and behavioral impairments, developmental delays, reproductive harm, and chronic diseases including autoimmune disease, asthma, and obesity. The important work of preventing these health harms can only be done if we increase our efforts to identify the causes— including industrial and environmental pollutants— and reduce or replace them to prevent harmful exposures.</p><p>Sadly, as the 2020 <a href="https://www.cancerfreeeconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CFE_ChildhoodCancerPrevention_Report_F2.pdf" target="_blank">Childhood Cancer Prevention Report</a> confirms, <a href="https://curesearch.org/Incidence-Rates-Over-Time" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">childhood cancer incidence rates</a>, the number of new cases per 1,000 children, have steadily increased over the last few decades across all racial/ethnic groups. Cancer is now responsible for more than <a href="https://curesearch.org/Childhood-Cancer-Deaths-Per-Year" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">half of all childhood and teenage deaths</a>, making this study all the more urgent.</p><p>Oliver's family may never know exactly what led to the cancer that took his life. But the study they've helped to launch can identify the environmental contributors to cancer and other diseases – and that knowledge can inform policies and practices to better protect families from toxic products and pollution.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.ehn.org/environmental-causes-child-cancer-2649926729.html" target="_blank">Environmental Health News</a>.</em></p>
Read More
Show Less
piyaset / iStock / Getty Images Plus
In an alarming new study, scientists found that climate change is already harming children's diets.
<p>It has long been understood that climate change will impact diet and food security globally. But up until now, little research proved how diet diversity is impacted by climate change outcomes, like warmer temperatures and increased precipitation, over a span of geographical areas.</p><p>Led by researchers at the University of Vermont, the study surveyed the diets of more than 107,00 children under the age of five, across 19 countries in Asia, Africa, and South America, with 30 years of precipitation and temperature data, according to the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abd0ab" target="_blank">study</a>.</p>
<p>Higher, long-term temperatures were associated with decreased diet diversity among children. "It surprised us that higher temperatures are already showing an impact," Meredith Niles, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Vermont, said in an <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/climate-change-hurting-childrens-diets-global-study-finds-0" target="_blank">article</a>.</p><p>In 2019, over 144 million children under the age of five were malnourished, <a href="https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/malnutrition/#:~:text=In%202019%2C%2021.3%20per%20cent,5%20worldwide%20had%20stunted%20growth.&text=Between%202000%20and%202019%2C%20stunting,199.5%20million%20to%20144.0%20million." target="_blank">according to data by the UNICEF</a>. This number could have grown by an additional 6.7 million in 2020 alone, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a <a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-additional-67-million-children-under-5-could-suffer-wasting-year-due-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report published in July</a>.</p>
<p>In the study, researchers used a scale developed by the United Nations to understand intakes of micronutrients like iron, folic acid, zinc and vitamins A and D.</p><p>On average children ate 3.2 out of 10 food groups. But in "emerging economies" like in China, children ate 6.8 out of 10 food groups, more than doubling the overall average, according to the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/climate-change-hurting-childrens-diets-global-study-finds-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Vermont</a>. Household wealth, consequently, was the biggest factor in children's diet diversity, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/global-climate-food/scientists-warn-climate-change-is-harming-childrens-diets-idUSL8N2JO4P4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>"These results suggest that, if we don't adapt, climate change could further erode a diet that already isn't meeting adequate child micronutrient levels," Brendan Fisher from UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/climate-change-hurting-childrens-diets-global-study-finds-0" target="_blank">said</a> about children's diets in developing countries.</p>
<p>Although the study proved what researchers had long expected regarding warming temperatures, they did find surprising results on how precipitation alters diet diversity.</p><p>Higher precipitation, linked to countries in West and Southeast Africa and Central America, was associated with higher diversity in children's diet, the University of Vermont <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/climate-change-hurting-childrens-diets-global-study-finds-0" target="_blank">reported</a>.</p><p>"Higher rainfall in the future may provide important diet quality benefits in multiple ways, but it also depends on how that rain comes," Molly Brown, a co-author of the study <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/climate-change-hurting-childrens-diets-global-study-finds-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>. "If it's more erratic and intense, as is predicted with climate change, this may not hold true."</p><p>Changes in the agriculture and the food industry can also be linked to worsening diets, Paolo Vineis of Imperial College London, who studies the effects of climate change on the disease, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/global-climate-food/scientists-warn-climate-change-is-harming-childrens-diets-idUSL8N2JO4P4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Reuters</a>.</p><p>By 2050, global demand for food may increase by 59 to 98 percent from a larger population. Although this will require major agricultural and food industries to rapidly expand their production, droughts and higher temperatures will threaten their ability to do so, <a href="https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/07/25/climate-change-food-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Columbia University's Earth Institute reported</a>.</p>
<p>In the United States alone, for example, the production of corn, which is used to feed livestock, could decrease by 50 percent if the planet warms by four degrees Celsius, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/115/26/6644" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a study found</a>, a likely temperature increase predicted for 2100.</p><p>So what kind of solutions can help?</p><p>Educating investors on the financial risks and potential opportunities of the climate crisis could help the food industry adapt to the climate impacts already being felt, Columbia University's Earth Institute <a href="https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/07/25/climate-change-food-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a></p><p>"Food security is going to be one of the most pressing climate-related issues, mainly because most of the world is relatively poor and food is going to become increasingly scarce and expensive," Peter De Menocal, founding director of Columbia's Center for Climate and Life, <a href="https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/07/25/climate-change-food-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Columbia's Earth Institute</a>.</p><p>As for improving diets globally, researchers at the University of Vermont <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abd0ab" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stress</a> the need for more research aimed at protecting children's nutrition especially for "vulnerable populations in low and middle-income countries across the tropics where the most profound climate changes are expected."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- No Country Is Protecting Children's Health, Major Study Finds ... ›
- 'Every Child Born Today Will Be Profoundly Affected by Climate ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Groundbreaking Court Case Argues U.S. Climate Denial Policy Violates Americans’ Right to Be Free
07 January
Popular
People's Climate Solidarity March crossing the Mississippi in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 15, 2017. Fibonacci Blue / Flickr
By Carter Dillard
In 2019 a study linked climate change and hotter weather to early childbirth in the United States. "That's enough to take somebody from what's considered to be a pretty healthy pregnancy into a 'we are somewhat worried' pregnancy," said Alan Barreca, a UCLA professor of environment and human health and lead author of the study.
<p>Prior to this, several studies showed that the most effective way to mitigate the climate crisis, in terms of individual behavior, was to choose a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2017/07/20/scientists-say-family-planning-is-our-best-bet-to-reduce-climate-change/#480ee30d40f5" target="_blank">smaller family, and have fewer children than one normally would</a>.</p><p>That means the best thing we can do to protect our kids is to change the way we plan families. If you think about that statement, it makes sense: Planning ahead is much <a href="https://havingkids.org/fair-start-research/" target="_blank">more effective</a> than simply reacting to a situation. But as the <a href="https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/01/15/biodiversity-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate crisis kills off nature</a> and <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/state-of-the-climate-2020-set-to-be-first-or-second-warmest-year-on-record" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">superheats the planet at an accelerating rate</a>, pregnancies give us a beautiful window to see the interconnection in one stark way — at the nexus between the human world and the nonhuman world and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/world/africa/comoros-climate-change-rivers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">environment we are overrunning</a> — and to consider the best solution to the problem.</p>
<p>There's something hidden in this question that could be preventing the world from taking the effective action necessary to deal with the climate crisis, and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-pandemic-is-not-a-natural-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">related crises like the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. What do we mean by the environment? What are we protecting from the climate crisis, and wish to have in the future? This is called the normative baseline problem, and it halts progress on policy and action as we struggle at the crossroads of different ways to go, between <a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more anthropogenic</a> and <a href="https://foundationforclimaterestoration.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">less anthropogenic</a> choices.<br></p><p>The baseline problem tends to linger when we consider things in terms of human welfare. If we switch to a framework of human freedom, our preference should become clear. Should infants be free of the ravages of an anthropogenic climate? How can we be free from others without restoring nature, or adhering to <a href="https://www.law360.com/articles/1259151/virus-highlights-nature-s-right-to-be-left-alone" target="_blank">the highest environmental baseline possible</a>? Freedom from the power of <a href="https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol29/iss3/5/" target="_blank">others is contingent upon restoring nature</a> and the wild — or a baseline based on the absence of human power — and pursuing the highest form of environmental protection. Freedom from others logically starts with the nonhuman world or the rewilding of our planet.</p>
<h3>The Baseline Problem</h3><p>There is a <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cognitive dissonance</a> prevalent in our species of evaluating something without thinking through the normative baselines, or the things against which we are making the evaluation. For example, I might think that — relative to how I will feel in a minute's time — it is a good idea to gorge on doughnuts right now. If I had really considered how I would feel later, and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-your-brain-stops-you-from-taking-climate-change-seriously" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">especially in the long run</a>, and if I keep making the same decision, I would realize that I should have thought beyond the short term, or made the decision at a later point of time.</p><p>The baseline problem <a href="https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2143&context=wmlr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has dogged environmentalism</a> forever. It is a problem Cass Sunstein, former president Obama's regulatory czar, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Risk-Reason-Safety-Law-Environment/dp/0521016258" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has tried to address</a> in his book <em>Risk and Reason</em>.</p>
<p>The world made the baseline mistake in developing environmental policy decades ago, choosing to treat nature as a resource for humans. The baseline was too low and allowed policies that fell short;<a href="https://mashable.com/article/climate-change-2020-records/" target="_blank"> indeed, it is</a> <a href="https://mashable.com/article/climate-change-2020-records/" target="_blank">one of the reasons our planet continues to superheat</a>. We are <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y6fv4fyx" target="_blank">making that same mistake now with regard to COVID-19</a>, by <a href="https://www.aspca.org/news/alarmingly-covid-19-relief-funds-prop-factory-farming" target="_blank">financially stimulating factory farming</a> and other forms of ecocide that degrade the buffer (or social distancing) between people that our pre-<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/anthropocene/" target="_blank">Anthropocene</a> environment offered. Degrading that "natural buffer" <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/climate-change-coronavirus-linked/" target="_blank">exacerbates the risk of pandemics</a> and <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/28/social-distancing-is-a-privilege/" target="_blank">determines how we can react to them</a>. As the New Republic reported, the next pandemic <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/157129/next-pandemic-hiding-arctic-permafrost" target="_blank">could be hiding in the Arctic permafrost</a>.</p><p>Solving the baseline problem will allow us to trace these calamities — <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/its-horrific-climate-change-is-killing-the-great-barri-1842728096" target="_blank">like the unfolding death of the Great Barrier Reef</a> — and help us back to an ultimate source, and, perhaps, to a solution. We can no longer use a baseline for environmental policy that treats nature or the nonhuman world as a human resource. This is the baseline most environmentalists use, and the one that created the Anthropocene era in which we find the world today. A much higher baseline would view nature as something that ought to be a nonhuman habitat or the homes of sentient species who have a right to survive and thrive. This would be <a href="https://foundationforclimaterestoration.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a restorative baseline</a>, and the one more consistent with animal liberation. Such a baseline would be most protective against things like climate change and the pandemics it drives. A policy based on this baseline would revolve around ensuring our children have the only environment proven — over millennia‚ that allows humans and all species to thrive. It would seek to eliminate the way the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38094186" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">absence of nature in our lives is degrading our psyches</a>.</p>
<p>In other words, what should our environment be like? What environment do our kids deserve? Do we want to raise kids <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/world/expensive-car-drivers-study-scli-scn-intl/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twCNN&utm_term=link&utm_content=2020-02-26T13%3A35%3A36" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">with antisocial personalities</a> who will plague their future generations with the same issues? Can we avoid doing so? Our choices to answer that question are being cut off as corporate and government forces convert nature into profits for the uber-wealthy. Our freedom to choose, our freedom through nature, is being taken away from us.</p><p>Whether we and our children have a right to that higher baseline and environment — what our future ought to look like — underlies the climate debates and the culture wars over how we respond to COVID-19. In this context, the debate centers around whether we should <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2019/12/06/how-much-is-a-climate-change-solution-worth/#4f19d231f560" target="_blank">prioritize economic growth over preserving nature</a>, and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/social-distancing-culture/609019/" target="_blank">the protection of human life</a>. The debate is between those who favor a lower environmental baseline and economic growth and those who favor a higher baseline and human rights, like the right of the most vulnerable groups to survive the pandemic.</p>
<p>It is a debate that is now being <a href="https://www.law360.com/articles/1259151/virus-highlights-nature-s-right-to-be-left-alone" target="_blank">fought out in federal court</a>. The case will determine a lot about what it means to be free in America — for us and for our kids.</p><p>Here is the key to that case, something many people miss. In order for us to be free, wilderness — or the relative absence of human domination over nature — has to remain and be protected as a potential baseline against the imposition of human power. Without it, we will lose our point of orientation to know what it means to be free from others. Or as Senator Frank Church of Idaho <a href="https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/freedom-at-malheur" target="_blank">said</a> in helping to pass the Wilderness Act of 1964, that "without wilderness this country will become a cage." Consider this, and the uber-wealthy class: People like Elon Musk <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/1/7/21003272/space-x-starlink-astronomy-light-pollution" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">insert themselves between us and nature in order to overrun it</a> and promote <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/30/elon-musk-jack-ma-biggest-problem-world-will-face-is-population-drop.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increased population growth to accelerate that process</a>. They envision a future in which the world is one big market, or a place they can dominate as the alternative — <a href="https://www.walden.org/quotation-category/government-and-politics-2/freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">or the free world of Thoreau</a> — recedes into extinction.</p>
<p>It's hard to think outside of the box when there is no outside, when there is no alternative to a man-made, human-dominated world. Anti-environmental groups who wish to convert the entire <a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/worlds-billionaires-have-more-wealth-46-billion-people" target="_blank">world into a market that is owned by a powerful few</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/06/trump-executive-order-on-us-space-resources-and-mining-policy.html" target="_blank">who are now even eyeing the resources in space</a>, know and exploit this fact. When I am in nature, in the wild, I can see the box or cage from the outside. I am free because I have that perspective, point of orientation, or baseline. Shouldn't we ensure that our kids have the same choice, and can see from that perspective?</p><p>The founders of this country thought so. They understood how crucial it was to have a baseline that could be used to judge and orient ourselves against human power, and wrote it into the Declaration of Independence, <a href="https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/yhrdlj/vol10/iss1/1/" target="_blank">using the concept of wilderness and nature as the foundation</a> upon which to build the latticework of the American social contract. They understood that human rights and democracy are <em>objective</em> values and should orient around an external and objective point like nature. In the Declaration, they explicitly assured it to our progeny.</p>
<h3>No Freedom Without Nature</h3><p>In the case, which is now on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the <a href="https://aldf.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Animal Legal Defense Fund</a> and <a href="https://seedingsovereignty.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seeding Sovereignty</a>, two nonprofits, allege that the federal government's policy of ignoring the climate crisis — and in many cases knowingly exacerbating it — violates Americans' right to be free because it is destroying our environment relative to the higher, or restorative baseline. The concept of constitutional freedom can be complex but one way to unpack it is by dividing it into positive and negative freedoms — or the right to be <em>free from</em> the nonconsensual impact other people have on you, and the <em>freedom to</em> choose how to live your life. The plaintiffs allege our government is violating both these freedoms.</p><p>Consider the impact of the climate crisis on pregnant women, as the baseline environment, which generations of American mothers have enjoyed, and is now being degraded. Not only are <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/climate-change-and-pregnancy-low-birth-weight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the mothers and their babies subject to the disastrous and long-term impacts of the crisis</a>, but their choices and opportunities in life are being cut off by such long-term impacts. Instead of addressing this issue, the government's policies internationally have shifted the benefits to polluters, who use the wealth to minimize the harm of the crisis upon themselves and expand their own choices in life by ensuring poorer health, additional costs of care, etc. This case argues that because we have the right to be free from others and to live our lives as we choose, such government policies violate the Constitution, which protects us from these and similar intrusions. How can we have a right to be free from relatively nonintrusive things like <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-supreme-court-just-struck-a-blow-against-mass-surveillance/2018/06/25/1b5ee510-7653-11e8-b4b7-308400242c2e_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">government surveillance</a>, as the Supreme Court has always held, but not be free from life-threatening ecological impacts? We do have such a right — a right to a natural and restorative environmental baseline, or the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-52066238" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">highest possible standard of environmental protection</a>, which stands as a wall between us and those who would use nature for their own profits, and prevents from further endangering pregnant women and their children, and exacerbating pandemics in the future. Having that right is what it means to be free.</p>
<h3>Taking a Revolutionary Perspective and Acting on It</h3><p>The case of <em>Juliana v. United States</em>, which was filed in 2015 by 21 youth and organizational plaintiff Earth Guardians, is powerful and differs significantly from <a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/juliana-v-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other constitutional litigations regarding the climate crisis</a> as it is focused on anthropocentric standards for environmental protection, and relies on the role of nature, and wilderness, in particular, in the American Revolution and the founding of the country. Could the Founding Fathers have imagined that Americans would one day be so impacted by others, that nature would be so degraded, that our own environment threatened pregnancy? How would they have wanted us to react to that threat and our rights to be free from others, and free to live our lives as we see fit, relative to the environmental baseline they enjoyed <a href="https://www.earthisland.org/index.php/advocates/suit/rewilding" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">and extolled as a necessary condition of freedom</a>? This country is built on a promise to our progeny and we know the people who are making it impossible to keep that promise.</p><p>This is not about fealty to our Founding Fathers or some other form of nationalism masquerading as liberalism. If we don't orient our political systems around the absence of human power and <a href="https://foundationforclimaterestoration.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the restoration of nature</a>, we are adopting a concept of freedom that is incoherent. That, in turn, <a href="https://lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2020/07/dillard-on-legitimacy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">poses serious legitimacy problems for any form of governance</a>, making consensual political association physically impossible. In other words, without the absence of human power — or nature or the nonhuman world — <a href="https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol29/iss3/5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">it becomes impossible to consent to human power</a>. We cannot allow ourselves to simply embrace — and foist upon future generations — a world where we cannot be free from others' harmful influence, in which freedom from the power of others does not exist and political liberty is replaced <a href="https://www.consumerfreedom.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by a degrading form of consumerist freedom</a>. In such a world, freedom is more economic than political, and the average person's role is reduced to being a buyer and seller in a world market rather than that of an empowered citizen in free democracies surrounded by nature. Those promoting such an emaciated form of freedom, and blocking family planning reforms that would ensure people are <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/02/24/humanitys-survival-on-earth-starts-with-having-smaller-families_partner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">empowered as truly free and equal</a> might be thought of as pre-constitutional, but it is preventing the intergenerational constituting or coming together of people as truly self-determining.</p>
<p>The move away from a lower or resource-based baseline has begun, in part, with the recognition <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y3zg9aqm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">that humans and the environment are inextricably linked</a>, which is a partial move away from the view of nature as a resource <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674368224" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">and separate from humanity</a>. The next steps involve understanding exactly what we mean by the concept of nature and why we value it, and moving from the descriptive realm to the normative or evaluative realm — the realm of law and human rights — where we can articulate exactly how nature should be part of us and part of <em>who we as a species should be</em>. And when it comes to taking action, a useful perspective would be understanding that the fight for nature involves liberating <a href="https://tinyurl.com/mra52os" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the most vulnerable entities in the world — future generations and nonhumans</a>. This involves <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/02/24/humanitys-survival-on-earth-starts-with-having-smaller-families_partner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">universal reform of our family planning system</a>. One effective option would be to liberate them by seizing the resources of those at the top of the power and population pyramid that Nobel laureate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Chu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steven Chu</a> recognized and using those resources <a href="https://havingkids.org/its-not-about-population-its-about-an-intergenerational-revolution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to fund universal family planning programs that promote smaller and more equitable families</a>. And while we have been taught that countries like the United States were "constituted" by god-like wealthy white men in the past, new scholarship argues that this idea is nonsense and that if we assume political power derives from actual people, <a href="https://lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2020/07/dillard-on-legitimacy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">we are constantly either constituting legitimate democracies or deconstituting into illegitimate "pre-constitutional" political states</a>, depending on the family planning systems at play.</p>
<p>Do you think the idea of linking equity and a universal ethic of smaller families to population and family planning sounds far-fetched? Others, like <a href="https://mashable.com/video/michael-moore-planet-of-the-humans/" target="_blank">Michael Moore</a> and <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2020/04/24/david-brooks-who-is/" target="_blank">David Brooks</a>, are already making the connection in the mainstream.</p><p>The war on nature has turned into a war against us and our kids. We cannot afford to make the baseline mistake in the face of threats like the climate crisis, COVID-19, mass extinction and many other interrelated catastrophes. That is what the case is about: arguing that our fundamental human rights include a right and responsibility to nature, which in essence means <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-qdco0jAFa/" target="_blank">seeing ourselves as guests of nature</a>, and not its master. It is an argument that completely gels with changes around the country to <a href="https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/0195150163.001.0001/acprof-9780195150162" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">limit destructive and mythical property rights</a>, such as those over animals and over specific parts of our environment, in favor of a form of personhood that would protect the most vulnerable entities in the world.</p><p>And whether courts recognize that right to be free in nature or not, the tide of those willing to fight for the highest standard of environmental protection, and to protect those most vulnerable will continue to rise all the way up to the doorsteps of our oppressors — specifically those who push for a lower environmental baseline and economic growth over our right and responsibility to nature.</p>
<p><em>Carter Dillard is the founder of <a href="https://havingkids.org/" target="_blank">HavingKids.org</a>. He served as an Honors Program Attorney at the United States Department of Justice and served with a national security law agency before developing a comprehensive account of reforming family planning for the Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal. He has begun to implement the transition to child-centric "Fair Start" family planning, both as a member of the Steering Committee of the Population Ethics and Policy Research Project, and as a visiting scholar of the Uehiro Center, both at the University of Oxford.</em></p><p><em><span></span>This article was produced by </em><a href="https://independentmediainstitute.org/earth-food-life/" target="_blank"><em>Earth | Food | Life</em></a><em>, a project of the Independent Media Institute.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- To Stop Amazon Deforestation, Brazilian Groups Take Bolsonaro to ... ›
- Judge Orders Historic Hearing on Climate Science - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less