Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Among Officials to Be Charged in Flint Water Crisis
13 January
Politics
Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is seen testifying on Flint, Michigan's tainted water scandal on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 17, 2016. Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images
Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other state officials face new charges over the Flint water crisis, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
<p>Snyder governed Michigan in 2014, when a state-appointed special manager of Flint, Michigan, switched the majority Black city's water supply to the Flint River. The river's highly corrosive water was not treated, enabling it to leach <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/lead" target="_self">lead</a> from aging pipes that contaminated the water system. Bacteria in the water was also blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that sickened at least 90 and killed 12.</p><p>"The very fact that people are being held accountable is an amazing feat," LeeAnne Walters, a Flint mother of four who is credited with exposing the contamination, told The Associated Press. "But when people's lives have been lost and children have been severely hurt, it doesn't seem like enough."</p><p>Walters wanted more details about the charges, which are so far unclear. The Associated Press learned from two people with knowledge of the investigation that the state attorney general's office had informed defense lawyers about pending charges and court appointments.</p><p>A source told <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/01/12/flint-water-probe-snyder-charges/6642737002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Detroit News</a> Tuesday that Snyder, top aide Rich Baird and former health director Nick Lyon would face criminal charges. Former Flint public works director Howard Croft will likely be charged as well, his lawyer confirmed. Indictments of up to 10 people could be announced as soon as Thursday. But the attorney general's office has said it is not ready to release more information.</p>
<p>"It's an ongoing investigation," Courtney Covington, the attorney general's office spokeswoman, told The Detroit News. "The team is working diligently, though and we do hope to have an announcement on the status of that investigation soon."</p><p>The new charges would be part of an investigation into the Flint water crisis instigated by prosecutors working for Attorney General Dana Nessel. A previous investigation launched by former Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette had already charged Lyon, among others, but Nessel's office <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/flint-water-crisis-criminal-charges-2638815965.html" target="_self">decided to drop</a> all previous charges in 2019 and start over, arguing that there were major problems with the initial investigation.</p><p>Snyder's lawyer spoke out against any potential charges, arguing they were politically motivated.</p><p>"It is outrageous to think any criminal charges would be filed against Gov. Snyder. Any charges would be meritless," attorney Brian Lennon said in a written statement reported by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/13/us/michigan-former-governor-snyder-flint-water-charges/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "Rather than following the evidence to find the truth, the Office of Special Counsel appears to be targeting former Gov. Snyder in a political escapade."</p>
<p>However, there is already some evidence Snyder knew more about the crisis than he claimed. In mid-January 2016, he told reporters he had just learned about the Legionnaires' outbreak, The Associated Press reported. But his urban affairs adviser Harvey Hollins later told a judge that Snyder had been informed on Christmas Eve 2015.</p><p>Flint politicians and activists spoke out in favor of Snyder's conviction.</p><p>"It's just wonderful. It's finally here. It's hitting me right now," former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver told The Detroit News. "It's about time. All evidence pointed to him that he knew, that he knew what was going on. It was a cover-up for 18 long months that something was going on with Flint and the water."</p><p>The criminal investigation is separate from a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/flint-michigan-water-crisis-settlement-2647038028.html" target="_self">$600 million settlement</a> that the state of Michigan reached with victims in August 2020.</p><p>In the meantime, Flint is still repairing its infrastructure. Current Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley told the<a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/01/12/former-michigan-governor-charges-flint-water-crisis/6644125002/https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/01/12/former-michigan-governor-charges-flint-water-crisis/6644125002/" target="_blank"> Detroit Free Press </a>that a project to replace all lead home service lines was almost finished, with less than 500 left to be excavated.</p><p>"Our community has been through a tragedy it never should have faced, but Flint is strong and we will continue moving forward," Neeley told the Detroit Free Press.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- What You Need to Know About the Flint Water Crisis - EcoWatch ›
- Michigan Agrees to Pay $600 Million to Flint Water Crisis Victims ... ›
- Michael Moore: 10 Things They Won't Tell You About the Flint Water ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
A windmill park in the Oaxaca, Mexico. Stephan de Prouw / Moment / Getty Images
By Tara Lohan
When Shalanda Baker stopped in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2009 to brush up on her Spanish before heading to Colombia, she didn't realize it would be a life-changing event. She'd just left her job at a corporate law firm with the hope of lending her expertise to communities fighting coal mines or other dirty energy projects in South America.
<p>But in Oaxaca she met <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/indigenous-peoples">Indigenous</a> community members fighting a different type of energy project: large-scale wind development.</p><p><span></span>"Their struggles echoed the stories of countless communities around the world affected by oil and gas development: dispossession, displacement, environmental harm, unfair contracts, racism and a litany of concerns about impact to culture and community," she writes in her forthcoming book <em><a href="https://islandpress.org/books/revolutionary-power" target="_blank">Revolutionary Power: An Activist's Guide to the Energy Transition</a></em>.</p><p>And she realized that in the pursuit of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">clean energy</a> and climate solutions, we were on course to replicate many of the same injustices of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fue</a>l economy.</p><p>"I knew, in that moment, that this tension — between Indigenous rights and clean energy, between the rush to avert catastrophic climate change and social justice — would form the foundation of my work as an activist and scholar. It would also become my life's work," she writes.</p><p>Baker is <a href="https://www.northeastern.edu/law/faculty/directory/baker-s.html" target="_blank">currently a professor</a> of law, public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern University and cofounder of the <a href="https://iejusa.org/" target="_blank">Initiative for Energy Justice</a>, where she continues to work on making the clean energy transition more just.</p>
<p><em>The Revelator</em> spoke with Baker about why we can't solve our current climate crisis by following the same energy playbook and what it means to put justice concerns first.</p><p><strong>"Energy justice" may be a new term for people. How do you define it?</strong></p><p>I feel like it's helpful to distinguish it from environmental justice as well as climate justice. They're interrelated and, I think, inextricably intertwined.</p><p>Environmental justice is a product of the '80s and '90s, where people began recognizing the harms that Black and Brown communities disproportionately face due to industry, including the energy system. The movement was really aiming to remediate those harms through policy.</p><p>We had seen landmark environmental legislation passed in the 1970s which largely failed to address energy distributional concerns and largely left communities of color to fend for themselves through regular civil rights claims to sort out those burdens. And that actually didn't work out.</p><p>So the environmental justice movement continues and on their shoulders is the climate justice movement, which very much recognizes that island communities and other communities in the Global South, as well as environmental justice communities including in the United States, will be the first and worst impacted by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate change</a>.</p><p>So they're really working to create policies that respond to that vulnerability.</p><p>But energy justice for me is the most hopeful aspect of this because it's forward looking. To me, it's about dreaming and saying, "What system can we create that not only remediates or helps to remediate some of that environmental harm, but can make us less vulnerable in the face of climate change?"</p><p>Rooftop solar, batteries, things that allow us to bounce back more quickly in the face of climate change — this hopeful terrain of energy policy that is reflective of energy justice principles is where I like to do my work.</p>
<p><strong>You write in your book about how you first got into this work because you worried that we were going to make the same mistakes with clean energy that we made with fossil fuels. How have you seen this play out?</strong></p><p>My first experience witnessing it was Oaxaca, Mexico where I met the Indigenous peoples fighting against "big wind." And there was this moment where I thought, "Oh my gosh, we're doing this the same way." We're relying on the same logic, the same structure, the same financing models. The same entities and corporations are basically just changing hats and changing names to be able to participate in the clean economy.</p><p>They're still relying on extraction, exploitation and getting it done for the lowest cost, which often means massive projects that can really change the shape of communities.</p><p>That's what was happening in Mexico in 2009. It's still very much happening in Oaxaca, which is the windiest place in Mexico. It's also happening in the Yucatan peninsula in a place that I went to in 2016 to do a Fulbright.</p><p>The second time I saw this was in Hawai'i in 2014. At that time Hawai'i was embarking on its own ambitious energy reform project. But it was approached as being about just a technical change — a switching of fuels to renewables. They were basically, again, replicating the inequality baked into the system.</p><p>In Hawai'i folks pay the highest costs for electricity in the country, poverty rates are high and BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] communities live amidst fossil fuel generation. But BIPOC communities had no real say in shaping the energy future and were structurally excluded from it.</p><p>Moreover, communities were not viewed as stakeholders with an authentic economic interest in the projects that were slated for development. Because of this exclusion, I witnessed a lack of community participation in the overall development process, large-scale renewable energy projects going into BIPOC communities and rural communities without authentic community engagement, and a failure to think creatively about economic benefits (such as ownership) available to communities through clean energy development.</p><p>For me, the more tragic part was that the stakeholders and policymakers didn't see the transition as an opportunity to create social change and to remediate structural inequality.</p><p>This approach mirrored Mexico's wind energy development, and I saw, in Hawai'i, a real missed opportunity to allow communities to design the new energy system in service of their vision and in service of the deeper principles of economic and social justice.</p>
<p><strong>What response do you get when you talk about energy justice now?</strong></p><p>If you had asked me that six months ago, I would have said that it's very hard. No one's listening, it's terrible.</p><p>But since the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the murder of George Floyd, we have seen this sort of awakening, for lack of a better term, with respect to the multiple layers of oppression and inequality that certain communities face.</p><p>We know that communities of color are more likely to be environmental justice communities, breathing in toxic fumes. We know that they're more likely to experience energy burden, paying more of their overall income to meet basic energy needs. And now we know that they're more likely to die from a pandemic and that the likelihood of having the worst effects of COVID relates back to the energy system.</p><p>So now there's an opening, there's an opportunity. Since June there's really been more of a willingness to learn about this — and not in just the typical places, but with policymakers, with folks from departments of energy around the country and attorneys general offices.</p><p><strong>Are there examples of energy justice in action you've seen around the country?</strong></p><p>I think it's still too early to tell.</p><p>Rooftop solar was one way that people could have more control over their energy system and make some economic gains by creating their own energy and selling it back to the grid or offsetting their own use. But that opportunity and policy framework has largely left out a lot of Black and Brown folks.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQzNDEwOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzU3NDgwNn0.KA7s7lZ3GggE68srQDargEsvM_IdcNtnnBNGOJ5sL6Y/img.jpg?width=980" id="87002" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0700b42409b8ee3738ae0b4846cc0aa9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="800" data-height="519" />
Solar PV panels covering the roof of a home in Oahu, Hawaii. Tony Webster / CC BY 2.0
<p>The alternative was a model called community energy. Sometimes it's about communities coming together or a church or another kind of institution in the community saying, "let's create an energy project and we can all share in it."</p><p>But unfortunately, I think we need more research to really know if it's actually benefiting low-income folks and Black and Brown people.</p><p>So the jury is still out for me on how energy justice is manifesting. But I do think there are a couple of policy wins that we've seen.</p><p>One is in New York through the <a href="https://climate.ny.gov/" target="_blank">Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act</a>, which was signed into law about a year ago and was very much a product of grassroots advocacy. A coalition called <a href="https://www.nyrenews.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NY Renews</a> made sure that that law included a carve-out for environmental justice communities [requiring] that 35% of climate investments have to go back to those communities.</p><p>We see similar things in California with <a href="https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/sb535" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Senate Bill 535</a>, which is essentially a redistribution of the benefits of that state's cap and trade policy to so-called "disadvantaged communities."</p><p>So there are wins here and there, but we have to keep fighting.</p>
<p><strong>What needs to change in terms to regulations or financing to help move that fight along?</strong></p><p>There are two pieces of the financial story. One is the utility story. We have massive investor-owned entities that are essentially companies that are regulated to be able to provide power and get a reasonable return on any investments that they make in the infrastructure.</p><p>So as we move toward more distributed resources, there's a pushback by these entities because they want to continue to own all of the assets and they want to continue to be able to get a return on any investments that they make in our electricity infrastructure.</p><p>But in an ideal world, we'll see individuals and communities owning more of their energy assets, and then being able to share them across a grid that may be managed by an investor-owned or publicly owned utility.</p><p>And I think we need regulators to push utilities to behave in the way that we want them to behave.</p><p>We also need to think about how we organize our rate structure. Right now rates are generally regressive and they have higher impacts on the poorest folks.</p><p>The literature around energy burden says that we should be paying around 6% of our household income to meet energy needs. But some households are paying upwards of 40% or even 75%.</p><p>One problem is that low-income folks often live in housing that isn't properly weatherized and energy is lost through holes in the walls or inefficient windows. Our standard programs for weatherization assistance are not reaching the places they need to be reaching.</p><p>I think the other part of this is how we get households access to rooftop solar. One study has shown a huge racial gap between those who have rooftop solar and those who don't.</p><p>That gap is persistent even when you correct for home ownership, even when you correct for income, which indicates that there may be a racial dimension — maybe <em>racism</em> — with respect to why people just aren't getting approached for rooftop solar or why they're not able to put it on their homes.</p><p>We need to understand this problem more.</p>
<p><strong>You write in your book about how the goal for many activists has been "climate first, justice later." But you advocate for justice first. Why?</strong></p><p>Bringing in the voices of folks who've been historically colonized and excluded for hundreds of years is just the morally right thing to do.</p><p>But I think more and more, we're starting to understand that our fates are linked. And we cannot leave behind certain squads of the population in pursuit of our own gains. We have to make sure that they have a voice at the table and are able to bring life to their own vision of what the energy system should look like.</p><p>Or else we'll get kicked by it at the end of the day. We'll be hit by the realization that we've left out this entire segment of the population that can't pay their electricity bills or that now has to move because of climate change. That will ultimately create substantial social costs down the road.</p><p>So for me, it's about making a stronger society.</p><p>I really want ordinary folks — our aunts or uncles, our friends who are not in energy or environmental law and policy — to engage with these ideas and to see the ways in which energy is such an intimate part of our lives.</p><p>I want people to get curious and begin to organize around a just energy future. And to also maybe even get a little upset about the deep injustice that is embedded into not just the fossil fuel system — because that's a story we know — but into this clean energy transition, where we are not only replicating but in some ways exacerbating inequality.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/energy-justice-baker/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- A 'Green Stimulus' Could Battle Three Crises: Coronavirus ... ›
- Federal Energy Regulators Reject Attack on Rooftop Solar Policies ... ›
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 ›
- Charlotte's Web: A Review of the Certified B Corp CBD Brand ›
- 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 ›
- CBD Oil for Dogs: 7 Benefits & Treatment Guide - EcoWatch ›
- NuLeaf Naturals CBD Review | Are They Worth The Cost? - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Capsules & Pills - Buyer's Guide (Update for 2021) - EcoWatch ›
- Because Price Matters: Most Affordable CBD Oils of 2021 - EcoWatch ›
- Strongest CBD Oils to Buy in 2021? - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Oils For Pain: Top 3 Brands of 2021 - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Vape Pen: Top Brands of 2020 - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
A man hangs from the balcony in the Senate Chamber as a mob breaks into the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee / Getty Images
Wednesday's pro-Trump mob attack on the U.S. Capitol brought upon a flurry of responses from elected officials. "We now will be part of history, as such a shameful picture of our country was put out to the world, instigated at the highest level," Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California wrote in a letter to her colleagues, according to The New York Times.
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the rioters "tried to disrupt our democracy." "They failed," he added, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/insurrection.html" target="_blank">reported</a>. But the senators were not the only ones to respond.</p><p>"The violent mob that stormed the United States Capitol today, causing senseless loss of life, was there only because of the reckless and anti-democratic actions of Donald Trump," Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp <a href="https://www.edf.org/media/trump-reaped-whirlwind-today-american-democracy-far-stronger-he" target="_blank">wrote in a statement</a>.</p>
<p>"Like the rest of the world, we watched the events at the U.S. Capitol in horror as anti-democratic zealots violently disrupted what should have been a ceremonial start to the peaceful transition of power after a free and fair election," David Yarnold, president and CEO of the National Audubon Society <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-history-and-we-will-hold-responsible-elected-officials-who-have-promoted" target="_blank">added</a>.</p><p>The Environmental Defense Fund and National Audobon Society were joined by a number of other environmental and conservation groups across the country to condemn President Donald Trump's incitement of the attack.</p><p>"Trump willfully infects our body politic with a seditious poison whose antidemocratic effects will linger for years," Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, <a href="https://www.ewg.org/release/ewg-calls-immediate-removal-president-trump-office" target="_blank">wrote in a press release</a>. He called upon principal officers of the executive branch to "immediately invoke the 25th Amendment to remove a demagogue who is manifestly unfit for office."</p>
<p>Greenpeace USA's Executive Director Annie Leonard also called for Trump's removal.</p><p>"Yesterday's white supremacist, anti-democratic attack on representative government was carefully and intentionally coordinated by Trump," Leonard <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-usa-demands-trump-be-removed-from-office/" target="_blank">wrote</a>. "Those responsible must be held accountable."</p><p>Many environmental groups underscored their statements with shared values for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation">conservation</a> and a healthy planet.</p><p>"Everything we stand for, all of the work we do to protect birds and the places they need, is predicated on the rule of law." Yarnold <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-history-and-we-will-hold-responsible-elected-officials-who-have-promoted" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a>. "We believe that those who have committed crimes today should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law — and those who enabled them should be held to account."</p>
<p>Sierra Club's Executive Director Michael Brune <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/01/sierra-club-executive-director-michael-brune-s-statement-violent-attack-us" target="_blank">said</a> the two new senators in Georgia will ensure "both chambers of Congress are led by those committed to creating a liveable planet, safe communities, and an inclusive democracy."</p><p>He added, "And now, we must use our power to expel Trump and the Trumpism that is attacking the core values and institutions of our country."</p><p>These statements follow a recent <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/07/environmental-movement-very-white-these-leaders-want-change-that/" target="_blank">reckoning</a> regarding the role of racism in environmentalism. Over the summer, activists called on environmental groups to recognize their roles "in perpetuating systemic racist policies and practices," <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/07/environmental-movement-very-white-these-leaders-want-change-that/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Geographic reported</a>.</p>
<p>"I need you to understand that our racial inequality crisis is intertwined with our climate crisis. If we don't work on both, we will succeed at neither," Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and policy expert, wrote in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/06/03/im-black-climate-scientist-racism-derails-our-efforts-save-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Washington Post</a>.</p><p>"How can we expect black Americans to focus on climate when we are so at risk on our streets, in our communities, and even within our own homes?" She asked.</p><p>Although the responses made by environmental groups may not alone inspire equity in environmental spaces, they may be a stepping stone for environmental organizations to confront issues they haven't in the past.</p><p>"Let's call this what it is: a violent attempted coup by white supremacists hell-bent on suppressing the majority of people in America demanding progress and justice," May Boeve, 350.org's executive director <a href="https://350.org/press-release/us-white-supremacist-terrorism/" target="_blank">wrote</a>. "While militarized police attacked Indigenous water protectors at Standing Rock in 2016, and Black and brown protesters during racial justice uprisings of 2020, this is a racist and despicable contrast as right-wing insurrectionists attempt to revive the Civil War during a global pandemic, the day after the officer who shot Jacob Blake walked free."</p>
Related Articles Around the Web
- Noam Chomsky Believes Trump Is “the Worst Criminal in Human ... ›
- First Thing: is Trump a 'law and order' president, or a lawless one ... ›
- Opinion | Trump's environmental lawlessness - The Washington Post ›
- Indian-American groups condemn attack on US Capitol - world news ... ›
- Business Leaders Condemn Violence on Capitol Hill: 'This is Sedition' ›
Read More
Show Less
Trending
An aerial view of the Palos Verdes Shelf Superfund site on Sept. 22, 2020 in Rancho Palos Verde, CA. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
A joint report on Monday highlighted the pressure that President-elect Joe Biden is already facing to deliver on his environmental justice campaign promises—particularly when it comes to the 34 Superfund sites nationwide for which there is no reliable cleanup funding—the largest backlog of "unfunded" sites in 15 years.
<p><br/></p>
<p>The federal Superfund program began with the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-cercla-overview" target="_blank">Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)</a>, passed by Congress in 1980. While cleanup efforts were initially paid for by a trust fund created by taxing the chemical and petroleum industries, lawmakers let the tax expire 25 years ago.</p><p>The new report on the cleanup program from <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/biden-will-inherit-hundreds-toxic-waste-superfund-sites-climate-threats-n1252276" target="_blank"><em>NBC News</em></a>, <em><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">InsideClimate News</a></em>, and <em><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Texas Observer</a></em> is the fifth installment of the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/superfund-sites-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Super Threats" </a>series about Superfund sites and climate change. The first report, published in late September, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/superfund-sites-climate-change/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">detailed</a> how hundreds of hazardous waste sites across the United States are threatened by hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, which are all exacerbated by a climate crisis that the Trump administration often refused to acknowledge let alone act to address.</p><p>Both reports pointed to a 2019 Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysis which found that 945 Superfund sites are vulnerable to extreme weather events that are intensifying because of human-caused climate change, including hurricanes, flooding, sea level rise, increased precipitation, or wildfires. The news outlets behind the series created an<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/map-see-toxic-sites-near-you-are-threatened-climate-change-n1240932" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> interactive map</a> for all the locations on the office's list, which includes over half of the unfunded sites—19 of 34.</p>
<div id="b03a5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="539a490467d6c3af2cb231aa97a42739"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1343520823013871616" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">President-elect Joe Biden will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to reverse President Trump’s environmen… https://t.co/NIZ6juIClW</div> — Inside Climate News (@Inside Climate News)<a href="https://twitter.com/insideclimate/statuses/1343520823013871616">1609155300.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The outlets reported Monday that Democrats in Congress, environmentalists, and former officials at the Environmental Protection Agency are urging Biden to consider climate change when creating cleanup plans for not only the unfunded backlog—which has grown under President Donald Trump—but all 1,570 Superfund sites.</p><p>"Even before taking office, the Biden administration accomplished one of the GAO's key recommendations: acknowledge the climate threat," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). "A Biden EPA will need to assess every federal Superfund project and help states do the same. As the GAO showed, climate change brings a new priority to rapid Superfund cleanup work."</p><p>As the outlets reported:</p><blockquote>Beyond Whitehouse's call for climate-threat assessments at every site, one senior former EPA official said the incoming Biden administration should review all of the agreements negotiated by the Trump EPA at Superfund sites with corporations liable for cleanups.<br><br>"You will want to see if the responsible parties were being given preferential treatment," said Mathy Stanislaus, who served as assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management during the Obama administration.<br><br>Stanislaus said such reviews should focus first on any agreements negotiated since the election by the lame-duck Trump EPA.<br></blockquote>
<p>Earlier this month, Public Citizen <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/15/new-trump-lame-duck-temper-tantrum-tracker-will-document-final-gasps-nations" target="_blank">launched</a> an online tool to track Trump's "most corrupt, norm-breaking, dangerous, and unjust actions during the lame-duck session," noting that the past four years have featured "cruelty, recklessness, and cronyism" from the outgoing administration.</p><p>The watchdog group has been critical of Trump's EPA administrators. Currently the agency is run by former coal industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, who was <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/28/gop-slammed-shameful-vote-ex-coal-lobbyist-andrew-wheeler-confirmed-epa-chief" target="_blank">confirmed</a> by the Republican-controlled Senate in early 2019. His predecessor, Scott Pruitt, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/05/finally-victory-people-and-planet-epa-chief-scott-pruitt-resigns" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stepped down</a> in July 2018 in the face of several ethics scandals.</p><p>The Monday report noted that "the Superfund program is led by Peter C. Wright, a lawyer who previously worked for Dow Chemical and represented the company in negotiations with the EPA over Superfund sites."</p><p>Although party control of the Senate will be determined by a pair of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/28/perdue-and-loeffler-silent-2000-checks-while-praising-trump-leadership-covid-relief" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">runoff elections</a> in Georgia on January 5, Biden has already announced several of his preferred Cabinet picks, including Michael Regan, the top environmental official in North Carolina, to head the EPA—a move that <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/17/michael-regan-nc-official-reportedly-tapped-be-bidens-epa-head-urged-genuinely" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drew</a> a range of responses from campaigners.</p><p>On the campaign trail, Biden promised to take bold climate action with a focus on frontline communities. His $2 trillion green energy and environmental justice plan, unveiled in July, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/14/more-work-do-major-step-forward-progressives-welcome-bidens-2-trillion-green-energy" target="_blank">earned </a>praise from various activists, including Varshini Prakash, co-founder and executive director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement.</p>
<div id="28f6b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1bb1d6e0d5f2a65c1b4bad9e5b683f76"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1343604912794595333" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">.@sunrisemvmt's @VarshPrakash and @DiverseGreen's @andresforchange: @JoeBiden needs to make good on environmental j… https://t.co/7dvRKDzRET</div> — Defend Our Future | #TimeToAct 🌎✊🏿✊ (@Defend Our Future | #TimeToAct 🌎✊🏿✊)<a href="https://twitter.com/DefendOurFuture/statuses/1343604912794595333">1609175348.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Writing for <em>The Hill</em> on Monday, Prakash and Green 2.0 executive director Andrés Jimenez <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/12/28/biden-needs-make-good-environmental-justice-promises" target="_blank">welcomed</a> Biden's selection of Regan for EPA and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.)<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/17/perfect-choice-progressives-applaud-biden-pick-deb-haaland-interior-secretary" target="_blank"> for interior secretary</a> as "an encouraging sign that his administration is prioritizing the voices of the populations who are most in need of serious attention and aggressive action on some of the most important environmental challenges our nation faces."</p><p>"Still, much difficult work remains to be done if the concerns of frontline and at-risk communities are to be truly prioritized with forging and implementing equitable environmental policies," Prakash and Jimenez wrote, emphasizing that "communities of color have been disproportionately affected by our federal government's lack of action to solve ongoing environmental problems" and "are also at<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/06/29/climate-change-racism/" target="_blank"> higher risk</a> of the consequences of human-induced climate changes."</p><p>The pair urged Biden to "follow through on his promises to root out<a href="https://joebiden.com/environmental-justice-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> systemic racism</a> when it comes to our nation's environmental policy," appoint environmental leaders of color to positions at all levels of his administration, and "take urgent action to curb the global climate crisis and to restore justice for communities impacted by air, water, and land polluters."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/28/biden-already-facing-pressure-tackle-backlog-unfunded-toxic-waste-sites-threatened" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- U.S. Military Is World's Biggest Polluter - EcoWatch ›
- Do You Live Near One of the 1,300 Most Toxic Sites in America ... ›
- 945 Toxic Waste Sites at Risk of Disaster From Climate Crisis ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
There are signs of climate action hope for 2021. R_Tee / Getty Images
By Kristy Dahl
In early January of this year, fresh off the experience of writing a year-end blog post for 2019, I started a project that I thought would make writing this year's year-end post easier. I created a little 2020 calendar on which I planned to record the one big thing that happened in the climate change space each day. In my mind I called it "The Daily Big Deal," and I could envision myself sitting here, as I am, on December 17, reviewing the year's climate-related events and deftly knitting them together in the blog post equivalent of a beautiful scarf made of reclaimed yarn. Or an ugly sweater. Or whatever.
<p>You can see where this is going, of course. The calendar has exactly 17 entries, almost all of them before mid-March, when the U.S. shut down amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/this-is-fine-dumpster-fire-floating-1rNWZu4QQqCUaq434T?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Fstlmotherhood.com%2F" target="_blank">2020</a> began its seemingly never-ending nosedive. The story of 2020 will forever be one of the COVID-19 pandemic: a story of the lives lost, the heroic commitments of medical professionals, essential workers, and vaccine researchers, the deep crises of unemployment and hunger, the months of isolation from friends and family, the loss of normalcy, the failure of our federal government to stanch the spread of this deadly virus.</p><p>Despite my abandoned efforts to chronicle it, though, climate change was also deeply woven into the story of 2020. As we close out this year, these are the five climate lessons I'll be taking with me into 2021.</p><h3>1. Climate change is showing up in our daily lives whether we recognize it or not</h3><p>Climate change was on full display this year as a parade of extreme events marched its way around the globe. In what was a record-breaking wildfire year across the western U.S., <a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/stats-events/" target="_blank">over 4.2 million acres</a> of California's land burned—an area larger than the state of Connecticut and more than burned during the entire decade of the 1990s. As dire as California's fires were, consider this: The year began with wildfires in Australia that burned 10 times more land than that (about <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666449620300098" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">46 million acres</a> in all). Combined with a record-breaking Atlantic <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/astrid-caldas/rapid-intensification-unprecedented-number-of-storms-make-2020-a-record-hurricane-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hurricane season</a> with multiple direct hits to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/10/hurricane-delta-louisiana-creole-lake-charles-damage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Louisiana</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/17/nicaragua-eta-iota-landfalls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nicaragua</a>, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/eastern-kentucky-is-underwater-but-you-probably-didnt-notice/606973/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">flooding</a> in the U.S. Midwest, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phe-heatwave-mortality-monitoring/heatwave-mortality-monitoring-report-2020#excess-all-cause-mortality-summer-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">heat waves in the UK</a> associated with more than 2,500 excess deaths, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200806-the-biblical-east-african-locust-plagues-of-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">locust swarms</a> in East Africa, devastating back-to-back typhoons in the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/asia/typhoon-vamco-philippines-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Philippines</a>, and countless other climate-related events, it's clear that climate change was staring us in the face—or more like screaming at us—all year long.</p><p>But climate change isn't just here in the form of these extreme events. It's here in the winter coats cast aside for a few days in the Northeast in January, when places like Pittsburgh hit 70°F. It's here in the strange, early blooms of confused spring flowers. And it's here in the <a href="https://eos.org/features/coastal-fog-climate-change-environment" target="_blank">lack of summertime fog</a> in my <a href="https://twitter.com/fog_karla/status/1318715094872715265" target="_blank">notoriously/gloriously foggy neighborhood</a>.</p><p>Indeed, one of the year's most chilling and powerful <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0666-7" target="_blank">new studies</a> concluded that from 2012 onward, the fingerprints of climate change can be detected from any single day in the global record. Whether it is glaringly obvious or not on any given day, climate change is already shaping our everyday lives in ways big and small.</p>
<h3>2. When it comes to cascading risks, we need to be thinking much more broadly</h3><p>Against the backdrop of the pandemic, this year's climate extremes exposed the many ways in which climate change intersects with civil unrest, water quality, financial insecurity, racial inequities in access to health care and secure housing, and countless other issues that might otherwise be perceived as being wholly unrelated.</p><p>Like pandemic preparedness, effective climate adaptation and planning will require us to think much more broadly about what climate change means than we have before.</p><p>For example, we have long recognized the interconnectedness of extreme weather and our energy systems—thousands if not millions of people lose power every year during snowstorms, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and the like. But when we look at what happened when Hurricane Laura hit Lake Charles, Louisiana, this summer, we can see that the cascading risks of climate-change-driven extreme weather extend far beyond the reach of our electricity system.</p><p>In the aftermath of Laura, hundreds of thousands of people were without <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/more-than-750000-still-without-power-in-hurricane-lauras-aftermath" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">power <strong>and water</strong></a> for days while a severe heat wave rode in on the storm's heels. Lake Charles' residents—about half of whom are Black and about 20 percent of whom live below the poverty line—had to somehow try to rebuild their homes and lives; keep themselves safe from the heat despite not being able to run their air conditioners or fans; and avoid contracting COVID-19 despite being unable to wash their hands. Add to that the financial insecurity many were experiencing after having been laid off during the pandemic shutdown, and we can see that the impacts of climate change reach deeply into so many different systems.</p>
<h3>3. COVID-19 and climate change are racial injustices</h3><p>The pandemic has touched all of our lives this year, but has taken a particularly devastating toll on Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities. In just one example, as of June, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/almost-one-third-of-black-americans-know-someone-who-died-of-covid-19-survey-shows/2020/06/25/3ec1d4b2-b563-11ea-aca5-ebb63d27e1ff_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nearly one in three</a> Black Americans personally knew someone who had died from COVID-19 compared with roughly one in 10 white Americans.</p><p>The disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color are a crystal-clear manifestation of the deep racial inequities that have built up over centuries of systemic racism in the U.S. Millions of people around the world rose up this summer to protest another manifestation of those inequities: the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people by the police.</p><p>The disproportionate impacts of climate change are yet another injustice that racism inflicts on communities of color. My colleagues and I have <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/adrienne-hollis/researchers-find-deadliest-aspect-of-covid-19-for-people-of-color-racism" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">written</a> <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/adrienne-hollis/we-need-a-new-normal-post-covid-19-thats-not-a-death-sentence-to-black-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extensively</a> <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/kristy-dahl/new-covid-19-testing-data-reveal-70-more-positive-results-in-non-white-us-counties" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">about</a> <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/juan-declet-barreto/mapas-mostrando-donde-los-mas-vulnerables-estan-azotados-por-covid-19-en-eeuu-senalan-una-injusticia-creciente" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">these</a> <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/juan-declet-barreto/hurricane-laura-and-the-inequities-of-evacuating-to-safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issues</a> recently, and, personally, I'm closing this year out with a deeper understanding of the fact that we cannot and will not be able to address challenges like climate change and COVID-19 without addressing the systemic racism that results in the disproportionate suffering of Black and brown people.</p>
<h3>4. When it comes to emissions reductions, we need profound change, but not the kind of devastating change we experienced this year</h3><p>This year we expect that carbon dioxide emissions—the primary contributor to human-caused climate change–will have dropped by about <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-carbon-project-coronavirus-causes-record-fall-in-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">7 percent globally</a> and about <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46196" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">11 percent in the U.S</a><a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46196" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">.</a>, primarily as a result of the widespread economic and emotional pain caused by the pandemic. This is not the kind of transformative change, driven by deep and sustained policies, that we need to meet our climate goals—and it is likely to be short-lived.</p><p><a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Studies</a> show that we'll need to accomplish decreases of roughly that same magnitude every year for the next 10 years to be on track to limit future warming to 1.5-2°C, and we'll have to do so in ways that encourage economic stability, improve the quality of life for people around the globe, reduce—rather than exacerbate—racial inequities, and ensure a just transition to safe, well-paying jobs for those whose livelihoods have been entwined with the production of fossil fuels.</p><p>It's a task that looks more and more daunting by the day, particularly because emissions are on track to increase by 2 percent per year globally between now and 2030 if we continue on a business-as-usual path.</p><p>But there are <a href="https://environmenthalfcentury.princeton.edu/" target="_blank">multiple technically feasible pathways</a> to get to net-zero emissions by 2050, with steep near-term reductions in emissions. And economic recovery packages that invest in clean energy rather than continuing to prop up the loathsome fossil fuel industry (as they have thus far) could <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank">put us on a path</a> toward accomplishing near- and long-term emissions reductions.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NDM3Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzMzOTk0MX0.mb2piF1FO6XN1l8xv4tiYU8mgunEtt5f6WG9K8njyCY/img.png?width=980" id="3c97a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7ece568f6eef39e6fc196db23aa8b00c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1024" data-height="824" />
Financial commitments to the fossil fuel industry have far outpaced commitments to clean energy in G20 countries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
<h3>5. In the U.S. and around the world there is <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/clean-energy-2020-year-in-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cause for hope<br></a></h3><p>In a clear signal of the importance of climate change in U.S. voters' minds, climate change was a prominent topic in the presidential and vice-presidential debates. Indeed, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/06/how-important-is-climate-change-to-voters-in-the-2020-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pre-election surveys</a> showed that, particularly for voters identifying as Democrats climate change was a high-priority issue despite the many immediate challenges the country faces.</p><p>The country then went on to elect a president and vice president who understand the science behind climate change and embrace the need for rapid, transformative climate action. President-elect Biden has affirmed his commitment to climate action in announcing an exciting slate of nominees and appointees who have long focused on issues of climate change and justice, including <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/12/17/937259525/in-historic-move-biden-to-pick-native-american-rep-deb-haaland-as-interior-secre" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deb Haaland</a>, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/biden-names-john-kerry-climate-envoy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Kerry</a>, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/15/politics/gina-mccarthy-joe-biden/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gina McCarthy</a>, and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/biden-selects-michael-regan-north-carolina-environmental-chief-head-epa-n1251598" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mike Regan</a>.</p><p>On the international front, China's <a href="https://www.iea.org/commentaries/china-s-net-zero-ambitions-the-next-five-year-plan-will-be-critical-for-an-accelerated-energy-transition" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pledge</a> to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 along with <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/rachel-cleetus/five-years-on-keeping-the-hope-of-the-paris-agreement-alive-and-strong" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">signals</a> of similarly ambitions pledges from the EU, UK, Japan, and South Korea all serve as challenges for other countries—particularly developed countries like the U.S.—to commit to aggressive emissions reduction plans.</p><p>While we can't erase the past years and decades of climate inaction, all of these are signs that we may begin to right our path in earnest in 2021.</p><p>I think I can speak for many in the climate community when I say that the last four years have been grueling. Many of the drastic climate impacts we've long been warning about are coming to pass sooner than we had expected yet we've had to continue to fight for the issue of climate change to be named and recognized at all by our federal government. But there's been a heartening crescendo of calls over the last few years for intersectional solutions to climate change, and the incoming Biden Administration seems to be hearing those calls. There is a tremendous amount of work ahead of us as individuals, as a nation, and as a global society. But for the first time in years, I find myself hopeful that we'll start to see more meaningful progress on climate action in 2021.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/kristy-dahl/5-climate-change-lessons-from-2020" target="_blank">Union of Concerned Scientists</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649587161#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- 5 Ways to Fight the Climate Crisis in 2020 - EcoWatch ›
- Climate Change Named Biggest Global Threat in New WEF Risks ... ›
- 13 Must-Read Climate Change Reports for 2020 - EcoWatch ›
- 2021 Global Climate Forecast: Slightly Less Hot Than 2020 - EcoWatch ›
- Where Do We Go From Here? - EcoWatch ›
- Global Warming Heats 2020 to Record Temps - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
President-elect Joe Biden has reportedly tapped Michael Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to be EPA administrator. N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
By Andrea Germanos
President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Michael Regan, the top environmental official in North Carolina, to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to multiple news reports Thursday.
<p>The news drew a range of responses from environmental campaigners, including praise that the apparent choice means the rejection of California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols, who faced <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/03/70-organizations-oppose-carb-chair-mary-nichols-epa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pushback</a> from progressives over alleged failings to communities on the front lines of dirty industry. Other green campaigners reacted to the possible nomination with a critical eye, pointing to what they see as Regan's "mixed record on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/environmental-justice">environmental justice</a>."</p><p><a href="https://www.wfae.org/politics/2020-12-17/biden-picks-regulator-michael-regan-for-epa-administrator" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to</a> The Associated Press, Biden's choice of Regan "was confirmed Thursday by a person familiar with the selection process who was not authorized [to] the discuss the matter publicly before the official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity."</p><p>CNN, citing information from people familiar with the matter, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/17/politics/biden-michael-regan-epa/index.html" target="_blank">reported</a> that Regan would be formally announced as the pick on Saturday.</p>
<div id="7065d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b6c3a995456388cfaf620d33bd21e9c4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1339668763789176832" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"Michael Regan will take the EPA's helm at perhaps the most critical moment in the agency's history, and he has to… https://t.co/LUVF4TrtAr</div> — Center for Bio Div (@Center for Bio Div)<a href="https://twitter.com/CenterForBioDiv/statuses/1339668763789176832">1608236897.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Regan, 44, has served as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality since 2017. He previously worked for the federal EPA's air quality and energy programs during the Clinton and Bush administrations. If confirmed by the Senate, Regan would be the nation's second Black EPA administrator; Lisa Jackson, who served in the Obama administration, was the first.</p><p>As the Raleigh, North Carolina, News & Observer <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article247855130.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> Tuesday:</p><blockquote>Under Regan, DEQ created part of the state's Clean Energy Plan. It called for drastically reducing private sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and attaining carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as accelerating clean energy innovation to create economic opportunities in rural and urban parts of the state.<br>Earlier this year, Duke Energy agreed to the largest coal ash clean-up in U.S. history as part of a legal settlement with DEQ, one of highlights of Regan's tenure. Duke agreed to excavate nearly 80 million tons of coal ash at six sites.</blockquote>
<p>His tenure at the state agency also included the 2018 establishment of the Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board.</p><p>"If Regan is ultimately Biden's pick and is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he will find himself in familiar political territory," Lisa Sorg <a href="https://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2020/12/16/deq-secretary-michael-regan-is-leading-contender-for-top-epa-job-under-biden-administration/" target="_blank">wrote</a> Wednesday at NC Policy Watch. She continued:</p><blockquote>He would inherit an EPA that is struggling with challenges similar to those that faced the Department of Environmental Quality when he became secretary nearly four years ago: a decimated budget, demoralized staff, a previous leadership that favored industry over sound science, myriad regulatory rollbacks, and a politically divided legislative body that uses the purse strings as punishment.</blockquote><p>While Regan drew accolades from some environmental groups quoted by Sorg, others suggested Regan hasn't taken on polluting industries forcefully enough. Sorg added:</p><blockquote>"He's a great person but I don't think he's done enough for us on PFAS" — perfluorinated compounds — said Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear. "I understand the agency is understaffed and underfunded. But the agency has made decisions unrelated to those things. We've fought so hard, but received so little."<br>She cited the consent order between DEQ, Cape Fear River Watch, and Chemours, which opponents of the agreement have noted, is weak. It specifically covers only contamination upstream, including private well owners near the Chemours plant in Cumberland and Bladen counties; downstream communities that are on public water systems in New Hanover and Brunswick counties feel excluded. <br>"There are a quarter-million people still exposed," Donovan said. "To see the state treat municipal ratepayers different than private well owners is not a good answer. They left municipalities on their own to fight our own battles."</blockquote>
<p>Criticism for Regan's background extended beyond his action on PFAS.</p><p><a href="https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/an-epa-administrator-michael-regan-should-not-pacify-environmental-justice-community/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to</a> the Revolving Door Project:</p><blockquote>Regan <a href="https://scipol.org/content/nc-approves-atlantic-coast-pipeline-permit-through-8-counties" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">supported</a> the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline despite <a href="https://foe.org/news/68-organizations-call-on-secretary-michael-s-regan-to-stop-the-atlantic-coast-pipeline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">major opposition</a> from environment, faith, justice, community, and Indigenous groups. His department also failed to respond to recommendations from the Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board to halt the construction extension. He also allowed a major liquid natural gas facility to be built in the middle of Lumbee territory, the largest Indigenous tribe East of the Mississippi, and was accused of failing to initiate public discourse or government-to-government consultation before the facility was built. <br>Regan led a department that <a href="https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/air-quality/air-quality-permitting/wood-pellet-industry-permitting-actions-and#active-energy-renewable-power" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">approved every permit application</a> from the wood pellet industry in North Carolina despite the industry's <a href="https://www.sec.gov/rules/petitions/2019/ptn4-741-exb.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">massive deforestation problems</a> and <a href="https://thefern.org/2019/08/for-years-complaints-about-north-carolinas-hog-pollution-vanished-in-state-bureaucracy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">failed to resolve</a> critical environmental issues related to hog waste disposal.</blockquote><p>Earthjustice president Abigail Dillen, however, welcomed Regan as possible EPA chief, saying in a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/17/earthjustice-statement-michael-regans-nomination-epa-administrator" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">statement</a> Thursday that he "has dedicated his career to environmental work, advancing clean energy, fighting climate change, and addressing coal ash pollution."</p><p>"As EPA administrator, Regan will play a key role in solving the climate crisis and protecting the health of all communities," she added. "We will do everything in our power to support and push Regan to repair the damage done by the Trump administration, take bold action on climate solutions, and genuinely address environmental injustice that has been allowed to go on too long."</p>
<div id="175c8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b7e804fc36ff41c50b87aee48c032b7b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1339647900658221056" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: Biden just tapped Michael Regan to head EPA — who has not had the best track record on environmental just… https://t.co/ATViRduodf</div> — Friends of the Earth (Action) (@Friends of the Earth (Action))<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1339647900658221056">1608231923.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The choice was similarly applauded by Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power 2020, who called Regan "an outstanding choice by the Biden team" and said he possesses "an understanding of the bold climate action this moment requires."</p><p>Lisa Ramsden, Greenpeace senior climate campaigner, welcomed the choice as well, praising Biden for not going with the previous rumored pick of Nichols.</p><p>"Biden gave himself the chance to choose an EPA administrator who will prioritize justice for the communities most impacted by fossil-fueled pollution," said Ramsden, who urged Regan to "go well beyond simply reversing the Trump administration rollbacks" and to boldly "call out oil and gas corporations for the unjust impacts of their pollution."</p><p>"While leading the Department of Environmental Quality in North Carolina, Regan rightly pushed massive utility Duke Energy to clean up its toxic coal ash and fought Trump's offshore oil drilling plans. But he has a mixed record on environmental justice issues in the state, failing to protect communities from the health impacts of living near hog farms and approving multiple permits for the carbon-intensive wood pellet industry," she said.</p><p>"Going forward," said Ramsden, "Regan and the rest of the Biden-Harris administration need to pair their lofty rhetoric on environmental justice with consistent action."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/17/michael-regan-nc-official-reportedly-tapped-be-bidens-epa-head-urged-genuinely" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- 550 Groups Urge Biden to Become #PlasticFreePresident With 8 ... ›
- Biden Considers Obama-Era EPA Chief, Others for Key Climate ... ›
- The Rebuilding Years Begin Now - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Federal Wildfire Responses Subject to Racism, Economic Disparities, Study Finds
17 December 2020
Politics
A prescribed burn protects homes from wildfire risk while golfers play nearby. Matt Jonas / Digital First Media / Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
The federal government is more likely to take action aimed at reducing the severity of future wildfires in white and wealthy communities, according to new findings reported by the New York Times.
<p>Poor households and people of color are disproportionately hurt by wildfires because they are often more physically exposed and are less likely to have insurance, and the new <a href="https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/inequality-agency-responsiveness-evidence-salient-wildfire-events/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=103376012&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_5CI4HpCeQSsLvg57QIG_lyWIYyxBqP3moP6_5Mr9iFTUQOJPiVkOd0_9jvJZ1SUXitmMy1j1ZXUaYEYW86QLbhBRXsQ&utm_content=103376012&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report</a> from Resources for the Future shows the government's actions after a fire exacerbate those inequities. </p>
<p>Over the past decades, most people who moved to fire-prone areas were white and affluent, but rising housing costs are pushing lower-income families and families of color into those areas. These and other changes mean authorities need to improve on even basic elements of fire response like making sure non-English speakers are adequately informed of fire dangers and evacuation orders. The report follows a fire season, fueled by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a>, that obliterated records across the American West.</p>
<p>As reported by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/climate/wildfires-minorities-aid.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=103376012&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-857lLO2pST3052Mfioo4ji9wp7Nf-9AscQ7oHWRdhRqYCmLgyFHR89OUwoQNLJhaNZP88T9ts4fNtrkQJUWChD078R8Q&utm_content=103376012&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><blockquote>One of the most important ways the federal government can cut wildfire risk is through so-called "fuel treatment" projects: reducing the amount of flammable vegetation in fire-prone areas, using either heavy machinery or by burning it off with a carefully controlled fire, set intentionally and for that purpose. But those projects are expensive, and Congress provides the government with funds to treat just a small fraction of the land at risk from fire each year.</blockquote><blockquote>...</blockquote><blockquote>Christopher Peters, president of the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, which aims to help Native American communities, said Native Americans are disproportionately exposed to wildfires because of where they live, but have a harder time getting federal agencies to reduce fire risk on nearby land. "When it comes to putting the dollars where their mouth is, they provide services to nonnative communities," Mr. Peters said.</blockquote>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/climate/wildfires-minorities-aid.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=103376012&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-857lLO2pST3052Mfioo4ji9wp7Nf-9AscQ7oHWRdhRqYCmLgyFHR89OUwoQNLJhaNZP88T9ts4fNtrkQJUWChD078R8Q&utm_content=103376012&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>; Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/events/western-wildfire-season-2020?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=103376012&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9f1Tl6F668ZXY1pkaBhpUykqovpBawsO0LghrHCvYSLeVFSdJr76huleMS8MzZo0rlpv4GpvTStEXvANsme_-TScDHDw&utm_content=103376012&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">2020 Western wildfire season</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, <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nexus Media News</a>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Study: Feds Response to Hurricane Maria Slower, Less Generous ... ›
- Fighting Climate Change Is a Social Justice Issue Too - EcoWatch ›
- Kamala Harris Introduces Environmental Justice Bill in Senate ... ›
- Wildfires May Exacerbate Asthma in the Western United States - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Trump EPA Issues Last-Minute Rule Making it Harder for Biden to Address Climate and Pollution
10 December 2020
Climate
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is seen during a hearing on May 20, 2020 in Washington, D.C, addressing legal challenges and criticism for easing enforcements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Al Drago-Poo / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
With President Donald Trump's first term soon coming to an end, the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a rule that critics are calling a last-minute attempt to "sabotage" future efforts by President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration to tackle the intertwined climate and pollution crises.
<p>Capping off nearly four years of Trump and members of his administration working to roll back<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html" target="_blank"> over 100</a> environmental and public health protections in the service of corporate polluters, the new rule changes how the EPA calculates the costs and benefits of new policies on air pollution under the Clean Air Act.</p><p>The new requirements, as the <em>Washington Post</em> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/09/trump-air-pollution/" target="_blank">reports</a>, "instruct the agency to weigh all the economic costs of curbing an air pollutant but disregard many of the incidental benefits that arise, such as illnesses and deaths avoided by a potential regulation. In other words, if reducing emissions from power plants also saves tens of thousands of lives each year by cutting soot, those 'co-benefits' should be not be counted."</p>
<div id="79e9e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="10dec355a3d65196f053839e555b698e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1336748228654587904" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Speaking to @CoralMDavenport @nytimes about the rule announced today by @EPAAWheeler, EPN member Roy Gamse said, "I… https://t.co/nQDJ5Pl66R</div> — Environmental Protection Network (@Environmental Protection Network)<a href="https://twitter.com/EnvProtectioNet/statuses/1336748228654587904">1607540587.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Former coal lobbyist and current EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the finalization during a virtual event with the Heritage Foundation, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-finalizes-benefit-cost-analyses-procedures-increase-consistency-honest-accounting" target="_blank">saying</a>, "thanks to President Trump's leadership, we are ensuring that future rulemakings under the Clean Air Act are transparent, fair, and consistent with EPA governing statutes."</p><p>Environmental and public health advocates pushed back against Wheeler's framing, blasting the rule as not only yet another piece of the outgoing administration's deregulatory agenda but also a blatant attempt to hamstring Biden, who ran on <a href="https://joebiden.com/environmental-justice-plan/" target="_blank">a promise to deliver</a> environmental and climate justice.</p><p>"For four years, this administration has waged war on public health by kowtowing to polluters," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/09/new-rule-makes-it-harder-epa-fight-air-pollution-and-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> of Trump's first term. "Now, on the way out the door, this amounts to sabotaging the efforts of the incoming administration to protect Americans from dirty air."</p><p>"It will literally be a breath of fresh air to soon have a president and an EPA working each day to make Americans and the planet healthier and safe," he added of Biden's planned January 20 inauguration. "But Administrator Wheeler and President Trump are hellbent on making that job as difficult as possible."</p>
<div id="a96f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3d5be0826b85983df331ef552ed4573a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1336807701171605507" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This rule will distort @EPA analysis by discounting the health benefits of air pollution standards & prioritizing t… https://t.co/UnJjArprPn</div> — Rep. Frank Pallone (@Rep. Frank Pallone)<a href="https://twitter.com/FrankPallone/statuses/1336807701171605507">1607554767.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/nrdc/amid-pandemic-epa-proposal-distorts-benefits-reducing-air-pollution?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=CleanAirPolicy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Proposed</a> in June, the final rule comes in the midst of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/09/trump-cost-benefit-rule-harms-public-health-born-out-corruption" target="_blank">noted</a> Chris Saeger, a spokesperson for Accountable.US. Early research <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2258774-air-pollution-linked-to-greater-risk-of-dying-from-covid-19-in-the-us/" target="_blank">has tied</a> air pollution to a heightened risk of dying from Covid-19, which had killed over 288,700 people in the United States, <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">according to</a> John Hopkins University's tracker.</p><p>"Donald Trump must be held accountable for selling out Americans' air quality to big oil companies and fossil fuel lobbyists during a public health emergency," Saeger said. "To restore our nation, the Biden administration must raise standards for the air we breath by rejecting these irresponsible policies that reward the special interests the Trump administration used to work for."</p><p>Emily Davis, senior attorney in the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate & Clean Energy Program, also <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2020/201209" target="_blank">called on</a> the next administration to forge a new path on pollution policy.</p><p>"This is an egregious 11th-hour attempt to handcuff the incoming administration and undercut the benefits of clean air—in the worst days of a global health crisis," she said of the new rule. "Our country is struggling to address racial injustice and a deadly pandemic magnified by pollution, which all heavily impact Black, Latino, and low-income people."</p><p>"The Biden administration should deep-six this dishonest and dangerous rule—and allow EPA to re-embrace its core mission, which is to protect public health and our environment," Davis added. "We'll use every tool, and look forward to working with the Biden team, to ensure that healthier future for all."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/09/eco-sabotage-trump-epa-issues-last-minute-rule-make-action-climate-and-pollution" target="_blank">Common Dreams.</a></em></p>From Your Site Articles
- States Sue Trump EPA for Suspending Environmental Regulations ... ›
- Trump's Latest EPA Rollback Lets Polluters Spew More Lead ... ›
- While We Focus on COVID-19, Trump's EPA Is Quietly Killing Us ... ›
- Report Urges Biden to Reverse Trump's Environmental Rollbacks - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Hospital workers evacuate patients from the Feather River Hospital during the Camp Fire on Nov. 8, 2018 in Paradise, California. People in 128 countries have experienced an increased exposure to wildfires, a new Lancet report finds. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
The climate crisis already has a death toll, and it will get worse if we don't act to reduce emissions.
<p>That's the warning from the latest Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, an annual <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> report <a href="http://www.thelancet-press.com/embargo/climatecountdown.pdf?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_a4k1xKrc4iQK5UG0pgWB-t3pa1Jt2r8ygJQx_Q6eEw3Ex7v3n470_GZ8yKLSRc2lhjD2LJgE8M4eWcjcjuKrnzya4hg&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">released Wednesday</a>.</p><p>"This past year, we have seen the harms of our converging crises — COVID-19, climate disasters, and systemic racism; it's been a preview of what lies ahead if we fail to urgently make the necessary investments to protect health," <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/19364/Renee-Salas" target="_blank">Renee Salas</a>, lead author of the U.S. Lancet Countdown Policy Brief, said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/02/2020-just-a-preview-if-we-dont-fix-climate-change-the-lancet.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_q0ii1o9A1XUEYGGfwsCbUnhzEoZ6MBWNMdhJ193M2NK1JOwrCCsu5fPc_zFsIiNkpX8vNt1nCVdmDLwxSUdNcYH4qjg&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p>
<p>Wednesday's report was the work of more than 100 experts from 35 institutions or universities including the World Health Organization and University College London (UCL). The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change has been running since 2015, when the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a> was negotiated, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/02/covid-pandemic-offers-chance-to-act-on-climate-report-says?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--gcNgs9GFu8_wOcYinzepbFuzmlWytO9wqVQ9TJbowk-QSdSkvXnqxsWJnJQMGgx7gloJpBKi2AaTqqwHblzUgtfnz7g&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian pointed out</a>. However, this year, the health impacts of climate change were their "most worrying" since the report began. All 16 health indicators monitored in the report are worsening, according to <a href="https://institutions.newscientist.com/article/2261184-health-impacts-of-climate-change-have-reached-worrying-levels/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--ZcLh0Q6ozgSQetEAzToko4gEB-3DVWhTRKmSRTvlnd07ArL3U2Pa99bp1XsUAqWlnjJ47GXG-oTk9ykBE_eywbIHiMw&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Scientist</a>.</p><p>"Climate change-induced shocks are claiming lives, damaging health and disrupting livelihoods in all parts of the world right now. That means no continent or community remains untouched," Ian Hamilton of UCL told New Scientist.</p><p>For example, the number of people over 65 who died prematurely because of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/heat-waves" target="_self">heat waves</a> increased by almost 54 percent between 2000 and 2018 to reach 296,000, mostly in Japan, China, India and Europe.</p><p>The number of people exposed to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires" target="_self">wildfire</a> risk also increased in 128 countries when 2016 to 2019 were compared with 2001 to 2004.</p>
<div id="97b40" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bd1b9e4c781bce94f654197bd26031cf"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1334439131938762756" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The #COVID19 pandemic and #ClimateChange represent converging crises. Wildfires and tropical storms in 2020 have tr… https://t.co/LbZRp9te5i</div> — The Lancet (@The Lancet)<a href="https://twitter.com/TheLancet/statuses/1334439131938762756">1606990056.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The report found that the health impacts of the climate crisis were unevenly distributed and disproportionately impacted the people who had done the least to contribute to the crisis. However, this does not mean that wealthier countries are immune.</p><p>"A nation's wealth offers no protection against the health impacts of even a 1.2C global average temperature rise," Hugh Montgomery, Lancet Countdown co-chairman and a UCL intensive care medicine professor, said in a statement reported by the <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20201202230439-fiytx/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101740057&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_rNCyinSosAHluXOeDjnopyyWWrdIJKs_cH4rHOLV7Zd96HJjRSmO37Meums4COi3x8dvAzdmFsjHhHw9aRlhrb8KrQA&utm_content=101740057&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>. "Flames, floods and famine do not respect national borders or bank accounts."</p><p>In the U.S., for example, heat waves killed 19,000 people over 65 and pollution claimed more than 68,000 lives, according to CNBC.</p><p>However, these effects were also distributed unequally within the U.S. itself.</p><p>"In the U.S., we see clear evidence of how certain communities are more burdened by pre-existing inequities," Dr. Jeremy Hess, author on both the global report and the U.S. breakout, told CNBC.</p>
<p>The report authors put forward specific policy recommendations for the incoming Biden administration, including an end to subsidies for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuel" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>, supporting public transportation and reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizers, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/climate/climate-change-health-risks.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p><p>"The overarching theme I stress to the incoming administration is making health central," Salas told reporters. "Climate action is a prescription for health."</p><p>Globally, the report authors recommended that governments use the recovery from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic as an opportunity to also fight climate change and meet the goals of the Paris agreement.</p><p>"The only way you can meet the Paris agreement is by taking advantage of this moment … by combining the recovery from COVID-19 with the response to climate change," report coauthor and chief sustainability officer for the UK's National Health Service Dr. Nick Watts told The Guardian.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- 'Every Child Born Today Will Be Profoundly Affected by Climate ... ›
- Coronavirus Response Proves the World Can Act on Climate Change ›
- 5 Things About Climate Change and Coronavirus From WHO ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Kids play on a flooded Arizona Avenue on October 4, 2015 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jessica Kourkounis / Getty Images
The threat to affordable housing from flooding driven by climate change will likely triple in the next 30 years, new research shows.
<p>The study, from Climate Central and the National Housing Trust and published in <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWyv3j3TqwvYW55kmdx2zg3MJW7vv0b_4k5j4KN7Mjfyc3p_9rV1-WJV7CgWL8W680rSp8RGNshW5jCNHT7015NFN43-mt9z5W83W2DBcf36vL9qCW5Hcxx-2YPy7qW4dFmnK3DP3tmW2GQMTH744SCzW1jvqQ03wPw0xW3XxM3m8xLwJ1VbfhMt90qHK6W5mZWR-83Prj3W4sRJpP658WdMW5y9Gxl5XtCy3W359gMy8jH67CW3RTx1F90Rkc4W94XVbN7nRDwNW2NPjxZ1m95jjW1Lnqhx89Vvd-W1L5B6p92bWXyW4JVd4x6J-__bW4fVVqM6MgnrbW4wCpDP2g4hg0W1zGkxf346V_6W1QljWm823SWWW2rdShC2NNxJCW5ZLqKt84v5C2354V1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Research Letters</a>, examined risk posed not just by extreme events like hurricanes, but also at the increasingly common threat of "sunny-day" flooding caused by sea level rise. </p><p>The threats driven by the climate crisis exacerbate the underlying affordable housing crisis — the study identified communities in which up to ninety percent of affordable housing is being put at risk. </p>
<p>The U.S. already lacks sufficient affordable housing, and "low-income renters typically have very few alternative housing options if a disaster damages their homes," Andrew Aurand, VP of research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, told Thomson Reuters.</p><p>"When affordable rental housing is significantly damaged, the private market provides little incentive to repair or rebuild that housing to keep it affordable," he added.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20201201090351-gpvnb/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8PipzwzR9xDdKLBvMHD1m7q-g5MtRrsbvtBvhnfB7bbVLiUgRKghQyQm8WkMKcIuHQYHkhzXlmQX7HCzqKVxFEuGphhhtJkuPbjj6g-sz1CU1vwcE&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/1/21747466/rising-sea-levels-flood-affordable-housing-2050?_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--J2BMybiHu7o60QOHnCMPXIvu1vcT_KWMZ2IJaUgG2G3OYg_A7lzSDEgWO8dMig1I9CSeHwD1_CLLlhSJNNCCE3ox_U7C5ZyE_7W0AuEaBLlo6l_Y" target="_blank">The Verge</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-01/how-climate-change-is-targeting-affordable-housing?sref=oUjKJw8m&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--JHyIz7WbmZLCWsqSpK7O_CjdqyRmOCV25tuBoxK3BDysgZux0g2i9Wpe24Jk8n3G7o2pfWW8E7I-x4Y7ww9t6fX5ZWerreFjt14nmyiBPWSRV7ms&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://www.njspotlight.com/2020/12/affordable-housing-sea-level-rise-flooding-poverty-climate-change-nj/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--IY8lZYXSmq0L04W6a0itM-lpokYwn8Qy74iwpA2j71MuansUlDjcZdG-PUwj2pP8eJNYdsPNvreB_ngh6cgUKCq58m14UTfutCcQre4r1wgiNCHw&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NJ Spotlight</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1063719523?t=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eenews.net%2Fstories%2F1063719523%3F_hsenc%3Dp2ANqtz--ouG8iT57AryuaQqhtjZz4MI7mxNjXPSCSVMt010E1jFnXCjexwVrbUp7NFkrPB07VG7cRRvQLdFsai-DIEj6p4qwY-UQG5WTbeOctVCyjX2Qkfe0%26_hsmi%3D101597928%26utm_campaign%3DHot%2520News%26utm_content%3D101597928%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dhs_email" target="_blank">E&E;</a> Interactive Map: <a href="https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/8/285.6044/39.7071/?theme=sea_level_rise&map_type=coastal_dem_comparison&basemap=roadmap&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&forecast_year=2050&pathway=rcp45&percentile=p50&return_level=return_level_1&slr_model=kopp_2014" target="_blank">Climate Central</a>; Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/coastal-flooding-increase?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--1eTUNVHb6GU9G0enF_KBIMvYZx8pYebF-ifHivrZNu5uNDkfaaZNC6W23BYTBByMlzUIvuFNaNH2BYimFpY9FK5dwyzFmVbvvm2QRMg3d1ru3HcI&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Coastal flooding increase</a>, <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/rising-sea-levels?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8OUslytYA_sh1-CKrRJHldE6467AwBh_fzHH2kHhENsuwR6_5ZbKEEXqHsVEfHy9jgCbzmCNFr9Exc4eJKTOLyv5hjtRwb3SFS0JEzMzmnrsOrqA4&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Sea level rise</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- James Hansen: Dangerous Sea Level Rise Will Occur in Decades ... ›
- Mangroves Threatened by Sea Level Rise Could Disappear by 2050 ›
- Sea-Level Rise Takes Business Toll in North Carolina's Outer Banks ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Members of the San Carlos Apache Nation protest to protect parts of Oak Flat from a copper mining company on July 22, 2015 in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images
In yet another attack on the environment before leaving office, the Trump administration is seeking to transfer ownership of San Carlos Apache holy ground in Oak Flat, Arizona, to a copper mining company.
<p>The administration pushed to finish the environmental review process, a necessary step to transfer ownership to copper mining company Resolution Copper, and its two parent companies Rio Tinto and BHP, to December 2020, almost a full year ahead of the planned completion. </p><p>"The Trump administration is cutting corners and doing a rushed job just to take care of Rio Tinto," Democratic Arizona representative Raúl Grijalva told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/24/trump-mining-arizona-holy-land-oak-flat-tribes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a>. Grijalva has been outspoken in his <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2020/11/16/rio-tinto-copper-mine-not-protect-oak-flat-look-australia/6245846002/" target="_blank">opposition</a> to the mine plans.<br></p><p>"And the fact they are doing it during Covid makes it even more disgusting. Trump and Rio Tinto know the tribes' reaction would be very strong and public under normal circumstances but the tribes are trying to save their people right now," Grijalva said.</p>
<p>Oak Flat is a high desert wonderland full of rock spires, choppy hills, ancient oaks, medicinal plants and long stretches of desert flatland. It contains many Indigenous archaeological sites dating back 1,500 years, and is near Tonto National Forest, the largest of six national forests in Arizona. For centuries, the Apache have considered the site holy, using the area for ceremonies. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p><p>However, what is estimated to be one of the world's largest copper deposits resides 7,000 feet underneath the site. If mining proceeds, more than 11 miles of Indigenous sacred sites, burial grounds and petroglyphs would be destroyed, The Guardian reported. Not only that, but Resolution Copper intends to extract 1.4 metric tons of ore, which would create a crater stretching almost two miles wide and 1,000 feet deep. </p><p>Rio Tinto, the world's second largest mining company, is no stranger to controversy. The Anglo-Australian company was <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/top-rio-tinto-executive-says-iron-ore-boom-unravelled-indigenous-ties-20201125-p56hwk.html" target="_blank">recently involved</a> in destroying a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site in order to mine iron ore, against the wishes of the land's traditional owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people. </p>
<p>In 2014, a proposal called the Southeastern Arizona Land Exchange was tacked onto the end of a spending bill to exchange federal land for privately owned land for Resolution Copper. Several Arizona legislators supported it, despite<a href="https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/bd432593-9e7c-4f18-8a61-4e74bc6edb34" target="_blank"> opposition from regional Arizona tribes</a>.<span></span></p><p>Currently there is no federal law that allows control of ancestral lands outside of Native reservation boundaries. </p><p>After the environmental review process is complete, the transfer must occur within 60 days, potentially before President-elect Joe Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration. </p>
<p>The move marks one of many attempts by the outgoing administration to keep pushing for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-environmental-rollbacks-election-2648378494.html" target="_blank">environmental rollbacks</a> as it leaves office, including <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-anwr-oil-leases-2648954756.html" target="_blank">opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge </a><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-anwr-oil-leases-2648954756.html"> the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge </a>for drilling and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-migratory-bird-killing-protection-2644987725.html" target="_blank">weakening migratory bird protections</a>.</p><p>"We are looking at the destruction of some of the Apache's most significant cultural and historic sites with this project," Kathryn Leonard, an Arizona state historic preservation officer, told The Guardian. </p><p>"Our preservation laws are not set up to prevent this level of loss. It weighs heavily on me."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Mining Giant BHP Pauses Plans to Blast 40 Aboriginal Heritage Sites ›
- Mining Company CEO Forced to Resign After Blasting of 46,000 ... ›
- Rio Tinto Blasted Away an Ancient Aboriginal Site. Here's Why That ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Greenpeace Releases Sweeping Policy Plans To Fight Inequality, Racial Injustice, COVID-19 and Climate Crisis
`
18 November 2020
Politics
A Greenpeace activist protests in Warsaw, Poland on April 22, 2020. "Going back to normal is not an option," a new report from Greenpeace USA insists. Rafal Wojczal / Greenpeace Polska
By Andrea Germanos
The "just, green, and peaceful future we deserve is possible and together we can build the power to manifest it."
So declares Greenpeace USA's new "Just Recovery Agenda." Released Tuesday and packed with more than 100 sweeping policy recommendations for President-elect Joe Biden and members of the next U.S. Congress to embrace, the visionary document plots out a path for erecting new systems that no longer put corporate greed above the public and planet's well-being.
<p>"Going back to normal is not an option," the report bluntly states, because what "we knew as 'normal' was a crisis." The coronavirus crisis has thrown that truism into relief, says Greenpeace, but the worsening climate and ecological crises and deep inequality have long made the case for a bold transformation of the dominant economic system.</p><p>With post-pandemic policies now being charting out —and a new presidential administration just months away — Greenpeace says it's crystal clear now is the time for pivotal change.</p><p>"The policy choices we make in this disruptive moment will shape the path forward for millions of people—the Covid-19 crisis and clarion call for racial justice in 2020 must mark a turning point for federal policy-making," the report urges.</p>
<p>Greenpeace USA campaigns director James Mumm put the new report in the context of former Biden's <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/16/no-you-didnt-trends-after-trumps-latest-election-result-lie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">victory</a> over President Donald Trump.</p><p>"We the people have chosen Joe Biden, who will arrive in the White House with a forceful mandate to lead our recovery from Covid-19, address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first," Mumm said in a statement.</p><p>"Over the past four years, we have cared for one another," he continued. "Now, we must come together to ensure that Joe Biden and the new Congress care for us, and to see that everyone — no matter their race or where they come from— has what they need to thrive."</p>
<p>The report expands on what that means by pointing to "dignified work, healthcare, education, housing, clean air and water, healthy food, and more." In this new work, says Greenpeace, the world must "shift from an economy that is extractive and exploitative to one that regenerates and repairs."</p><p>Centering all the prescriptions — which range from boosting voting rights to expanding renewable energy — are values of equity, community justice, freedom, compassion, and creativity.</p><p>Actions demanded of federal lawmakers include establishing a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour; strengthening the National Environmental Policy Act; enacting and enforcing new antitrust standards to curb corporate power; "passing bold and just recovery legislation in line with the THRIVE Agenda to lay the groundwork for a Green New Deal and world beyond fossil fuels"; enacting the pro-democracy the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/01/04/no-brainer-anyone-who-actually-cares-about-american-democracy-house-democrats-hr-1" target="_blank">For The People Act</a> of 2019; banning permits for new or expansions of existing factory farms; "enacting The BREATHE Act to police brutality and racial injustice by investing in Black communities and re-imagining community safety"; and enacting a ban on deep sea mining.</p>
<p>"As we look to recover from the interlocking crises we face as a nation," said Mumm, "it's time to use the tools and power of the federal government to solve problems rather than exacerbate them."</p><p>"This moment calls us to be bold and advance solutions at the scale science and justice demand," he continued. "It calls us to be holistic and navigate out of multiple crises at once. And it calls us to be visionary in our pursuit to people — not corporations or wealthy elites — at the heart of governance and public life."</p><p>Make no mistake — the "us" Mumm refers to really means all of us.</p><p>"Telling our story will not be the job of a single, appointed messenger, be it a politician, celebrity, CEO, or activist," says the report. "That responsibility lies with everyone who believes in the vision of a better world."</p><p>"Together we will build a movement broad, inclusive, and powerful enough to deliver the future our communities need and deserve," it states. "Together we will rewrite the rules of society."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/17/greenpeace-releases-far-reaching-just-recovery-agenda-tackle-interlocking-crises" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Biden Vows to Bar Fossil Fuel Leaders From Transition Team ... ›
- Greenpeace Report Envisions 'Smart Supermarkets' Free From ... ›
- Green New Deal Champion AOC Will Serve on Biden Climate Panel ... ›
- Biden Considers Obama-Era EPA Chief, Others for Key Climate Positions - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less