The new rule would allow the U.S. Forest Service to log or manage 2,800 acres of national forest in the Western U.S. PxHere / CC0
The Trump administration has finalized yet another environmental rollback that would allow more logging in national forests without environmental review.
<p><br/></p>
<p>The new rule, finalized Wednesday, would allow the U.S. Forest Service to log or manage 2,800 acres of national forest in the Western U.S. without first conducting an environmental review, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/18/forest-service-wilderness-trump/" target="_blank">The Washington Post explained</a>. However, the rule is written in such a way that nearly 200 million acres of forest could be impacted.</p><p>"This is yet another blatant attempt to undermine bedrock environmental law and public input, while giving companies free rein over our treasured natural resources," <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC) Director of Federal Affairs Kabir Green said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. "Add this rule to the long list of ill-conceived actions the Biden administration is going to have to toss and redo the right way."</p><p>The new rule works by expanding the Forest Service's ability to use "categorical exclusions," The Washington Post reported. These exclusions allow the Forest Service to bypass requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that require it to study the environmental impact of any planned development and share the scientific analysis with the public.</p>
<p>The Trump administration argued that the change would make it easier to perform necessary maintenance.</p><p>"The new categorical exclusions will ultimately improve our ability to maintain and repair the infrastructure people depend on to use and enjoy their national forests — such as roads, trails, campgrounds and other facilities," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/11/18/usda-forest-service-announces-key-changes-nepa-procedures" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p><p>Federal Forest Resource Coalition Executive Director Bill Imbergamo, who supports the change, told The Washington Post that the exclusions could be used to perform the forest maintenance needed to prevent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires" target="_self">wildfires</a>.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> groups worried that the new categorical exclusions would be used to approve activities beyond trailmaking and brush clearing.</p><p><a href="https://www.wilderness.org/" target="_blank">Wilderness Society</a> senior attorney Alison Flint told The Washington Post that the exclusions would act as "permission slips" for loggers and road-builders. Green from the NRDC agreed.</p><p>"Rather than addressing the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> crises we face, the Trump administration continues to make our problems worse," Green said. "Today it's ramming through sweeping changes that will open national forests to large-scale logging, roadbuilding — and even <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil" target="_self">oil</a> drilling and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mining" target="_self">mining</a>. Each of these will exacerbate our climate crisis."</p>
<p>The Trump administration has now initiated or completed 104 environmental rollbacks, according to a running tally from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. It is unclear whether Democrats in Congress will be able to reverse the new Forest Service rule, along with other rules passed in the last days of the Trump administration, The Washington Post reported. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to accept or reject late-term rules, but control of the Senate hinges on two run-off elections in Georgia in January.</p><p>Either way, environmental groups have promised to fight it.</p><p>"The final Forest Service NEPA rule epitomizes the Trump administration's disastrous approach to the environment — it shuts out the public, ignores the science, and delivers favors to special interests, regardless of the harm to forests, water, wildlife and the climate," <a href="https://defenders.org/" target="_blank">Defenders of Wildlife</a> President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark said in statement emailed to EcoWatch. "Our national forests are a national treasure and act as strongholds for endangered species conservation. Defenders of Wildlife will not sit idly by and witness the willful degradation of forest lands."</p>
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Activists Are Alarmed as Biden Picks White House Official Who Took Fossil Fuel Money
18 November
Politics
President-elect Joe Biden is greeted by U.S. Congressman Cedric Richmond, D-LA, as he arrives in Columbus, Georgia, on October 27, 2020. Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden is starting to assemble his White House team, and one of his picks has already alarmed climate activists.
<p>Biden has chosen Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond as a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/cedric-richmond-biden.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported Tuesday</a>. As part of his role, Richmond will reportedly serve as a liaison between climate activists and business interests, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/16/louisiana-congressman-to-join-biden-administration-436903" target="_blank">POLITICO</a>. However, <a href="https://www.dailyposter.com/p/news-bidens-first-climate-appointment" target="_blank">The Daily Poster</a> noted that Richmond has received $341,000 in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> money during his 10 years in Congress.</p><p>"[T]oday feels like a betrayal, because one of President-elect Biden's very first hires for his new administration has taken more donations from the fossil fuel industry during his congressional career than nearly any other Democrat, cozied up to Big Oil and Gas, and stayed silent and ignored meeting with organizations in his own community while they suffered from toxic pollution and sea-level rise," <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/?ms=SunriseMovement" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> Executive Director Varshini Prakash said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/17/today-feels-betrayal-sunrise-movement-blasts-biden-pick-big-oil-backed-cedric" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Common Dreams</a>. "That's a mistake, and it's an affront to young people who made President-elect Biden's victory possible."</p><p>The Sunrise Movement made contact with 3.5 million young voters in swing states, and now wants to leverage its get-out-the-vote efforts to hold Biden accountable to his promise to act on the climate crisis, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/16/joe-biden-climate-crisis-ennvironment-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian reported Monday</a>. Biden has called climate an "existential threat" and promised a $2 trillion plan to create millions of jobs while transitioning to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a>. Since winning the election, Biden has also made climate change a priority on his <a href="https://buildbackbetter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">transition website</a>.</p>
<p>However, Richmond's appointment concerned activists who are worried it signals that fossil fuel interests will have an outsized say in Biden's administration.</p><p>"If Joe Biden continues making corporate-friendly appointments to his White House, he will risk quickly fracturing the hard-earned goodwill his team built with progressives to defeat Donald Trump," Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas said in a statement, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-16/cedric-richmond-to-leave-congress-join-biden-white-house?sref=PqmVp1JY" target="_blank">Bloomberg News</a> reported.</p><p>Richmond, who represents much of New Orleans, has received the fifth highest amount of money from the oil and gas industry of all House Democrats, according to The Daily Poster. That includes $40,000 from ExxonMobil and $10,000 each from Chevron, Phillips 66 and Valero Energy.</p>
<p>Richmond has also broken with the Democratic Party to support increased fossil fuel exports and oppose pollution restrictions on fracking. Further, he voted in favor of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/526405-progressive-group-slams-biden-white-house-pick-over-fossil-fuels" target="_blank">The Hill reported</a>.</p><p>Rep. A. <a href="https://thehill.com/people/aston-donale-mceachin" target="_blank">Donald McEachin</a> (D-Va.) defended Richmond's actions, arguing that he had been trying to preserve jobs for his constituents.</p><p>"That's the tragedy that Americans up to now have been faced with, that it's either fossil fuel jobs or bad-paying jobs. His district has been dependent on fossil fuels," McEachin told The Hill.</p><p>However, New Orleans and Louisiana have also disproportionately suffered from the impacts of the fossil fuel industry. Richmond represents seven of the 10 U.S. census tracts with the worst <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_self">air pollution</a>, The Daily Poster reported. And <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricanes" target="_self">hurricanes</a> like Katrina have <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-hurricanes-wetter-2619851055.html" target="_self">become more extreme</a> because of climate change.</p><p>In response to activist criticism, the Biden-Harris transition team reaffirmed its commitment to climate action.</p><p>"The incoming White House staff members are committed to building an administration that will tackle the climate crisis and fight for environmental justice," an official told The Hill.</p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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The Dalai Lama has co-written a new book addressing the climate crisis. Kristian Dowling / Getty Images
The Dalia Lama really wants the world to act on the climate crisis.
<p>The Tibetan Bhuddist spiritual leader has co-written a book called <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/our-only-home-9781472980755/" target="_blank"><em>Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World</em></a>, which urges world leaders and ordinary people to work together to stop global warming.</p><p>"Buddha would be green," he claims in the book, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/buddha-would-be-green-dalai-lama-calls-for-urgent-climate-action?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco&fbclid=IwAR19o899tMmpcVQ55oEDqNXfuDJFnurfuyEZ3obc8XdoUfmLQeCq8VkNEqk" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>To promote the book, the 85-year-old leader has been giving interviews from his home in Dharamsala, India, where he lives in exile from his native Tibet. In a talk with <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933754512/the-dalai-lama-offers-a-warning-on-climate-change" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NPR's Noel King</a>, he spoke about the title of the book. He pointed to the recent discovery that there is more <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/moon-water-nasa-2648510521.html" target="_blank">water on the moon</a> than previously thought, but noted that settling there would still be "impossible."</p><p>"So now, therefore, we have to take care of our own planet," he said.</p>
<p>The Dalai Lama emphasizes the need for global action. He told The Guardian and <a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/dalai-lama-says-buddha-would-be-green" target="_blank">Channel 4 News</a> that the UN should take a leadership role and that the most powerful nations should step up to the plate.</p><p>"The big nations should pay more attention to ecology. I hope you see those big nations who spent a lot of money for weapons or war turn their resources to the preservation of the climate," The Guardian reported him saying.</p><p>The Dalai Lama has taken a firm stance against isolationism and told NPR he was very disappointed when President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> decided to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-begins-withdrawal-paris-agreement-2641223963.html">withdraw the U.S.</a> from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris climate agreement</a>.</p><p>"America should think, not just 'America First,'" he said. He added that the U.S. had greater potential to help create a "happier world."</p>
<p><br><br></p><p>President-elect <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a> has promised to return the U.S. to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-climate-agreement-biden-2648649350.html" target="_blank">climate accord</a> and also encourage more ambitious international action, in a vision that appears more in sync with the Dalai Lama's advice.<br></p><p>In the book, the Dalai Lama also suggested that world leaders be locked in a room full of carbon dioxide until they understand the severity of climate change, Channel 4 News reported. </p><p>But while the Dalai Lama urges global solutions, he is also aware of how the climate crisis will impact his native land. He told The Guardian and Channel 4 News that Tibet is the "roof of the world" and its rivers supply water to at least a billion people. But, as temperatures rise, those rivers could dry up and Tibet could "become like Afghanistan."</p>
<p>The Dalai Lama has advice for what individuals can do as well. For example, he told NPR that people in Western countries eat too much <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/meat" target="_self">meat</a>.</p><p>"Not only is it a question of, a sense of lov[ing] these animals," he told NPR, "but itself is very bad for ecology."</p><p>He also urged the importance of educating people to hold a less individualistic attitude toward the planet.</p><p>He told Channel 4 that students should be taught how "taking care about [the] environment is ultimately taking care of yourself."</p>
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Trump’s Frack Attack Against President-Elect Biden Fails in Pennsylvania Gas Counties
11 November
Politics
President Donald Trump watches a video of Joe Biden as he holds a Make America Great Again rally in Erie, Pennsylvania on October 20, 2020. Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images
The Trump campaign's efforts to attack President-elect Joe Biden and win Pennsylvania by claiming he would ban fracking failed, while Biden's climate message appears to have boosted turnout, according to reporting from multiple outlets.
<p>Biden not only won Pennsylvania overall, but — while Trump still won in areas with significant fracking operations — Biden improved on Clinton's 2016 performance against Trump in eight of Pennsylvania's top-10 gas-producing counties.</p><p> "Climate change as a voting issue has soared in the past five years particularly among Democrats and among independents," Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication, told E&E. </p><p>"This absolutely was a crucial issue for constituencies he needed to carry him over the top: young people, Latino voters and suburban women, all of whom care more about climate change than other groups." </p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive: </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2020/11/10/stories/1063718141?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--W2aX2ViQNW10HKOT3RDQyQphzzKK1x4ZtoGk1sHal2_BBsARx3Hx-rG53mX34hTvG35vFhvwAy0-Q3wBzbBnlXo-R3nCkdQbTw_iERyWWAJGiPsg&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-energy/2020/11/09/entering-the-biden-era-791466?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--SQKruMYeNB-_omzySdAB6zd5yBJD_YZmNTPZzYsiGyS9G71XygIlBQ6T14TESjUJSUcZ50pNnVoy1J0Q_2E7cCv2FfCtdCguERenOy5firZHEQnc&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank">Politico</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/bidens-stance-against-fossil-fuels-didnt-turn-away-voters-in-pennsylvania-and-other-key-states-148891?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ejLg8h7pcjp0HxRQXZxZBAF0csuSPWxOyWuro9qKhfVZq_nKXmiXVzCcqy92UU17blKR8tHXahJtKjBD3dCSIcUhzzhd7M-4O86HF0ohRGpjwiv4&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/df6bd3a7-27d7-493a-b407-fa367b43ebd6?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9AlHGf8eg5hX6cfzbk6QNOcDv4SpCYmeCfZaIvW3hYBkUmSKJzG92xx91_jfdHjxB6xnZEmoBj1hKGP9zY0AD1NEn25d1VE_DqrxNarU1Ou5IDD5Y&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank">FT</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/" 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/" 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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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President-elect Joe Biden gestures to the crowd after delivering remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 7, 2020. Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images
If President-elect Joe Biden follows through on his plan to combat the climate crisis, it could put the world "within striking distance" of meeting the Paris agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
<p>That's according to <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/press/bidens-election-could-bring-a-tipping-point-putting-paris-agreement-15-degree-limit-within-striking-distance/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new analysis</a> from <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Climate Action Tracker</a> (CAT), an independent scientific analysis of how national climate policies stack up against the Paris agreement goals. The analysis found that Biden's stated goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 75 gigatons between 2020 and 2050 and lower projected end-of-century warming by 0.1 degree Celsius. Building on recent net-zero commitments from the EU, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/china-climate-action-2060-2648140974.html" target="_self">China</a>, Korea and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/japan-carbon-neutral-2648499409.html" target="_self">Japan</a>, a Biden presidency could help put the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal within reach.</p><p>"This could be an historic tipping point: with Biden's election China, the USA, EU, Japan South Korea — two thirds of the world economy and over 50% of global GHG emissions — would have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century commitments," Bill Hare of CAT partner organization Climate Analytics said. "These commitments are very close, if not within, 1.5 degrees C-consistent pathways for this set of countries and for the first time ever puts the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degrees C limit within striking distance."</p><p>The 2015 Paris agreement <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/president-obama-paris-climate-agreement-a-turning-point-for-the-world-1882129785.html">set a goal</a> to limit global warming well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and ideally limiting it to 1.5 degrees. However, a 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-ipcc-report-2610866229.html" target="_blank">report</a> found there was a big difference between 1.5 and two degrees of warming. Preventing that extra half a degree could save hundreds of millions of people from poverty and climate risk, forestall an extra four inches of sea level rise and limit tropical reef die-off to 70 to 90 percent instead of 99 percent.</p>
<p>However, countries' current pledges under the Paris agreement put the world on the path to 2.7 degrees of warming by 2100, according to CAT. China's recent commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2060 could lop 0.2 to 0.3 degrees of warming off that estimate. If the U.S. reaches net zero emissions by 2050, it would lower that number by another 0.1 degree.</p><p>"Taken together, the U.S. and China going to net zero emissions would reduce our estimate of end-of-century warming to 2.3-2.4 degrees C, taking the world 25-40 percent of the way towards limiting warming to the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degrees C limit," Niklas Höhne of CAT partner NewClimate Institute said.</p><p>In addition to the 2050 goal, Biden's plan also includes a $1.7 trillion investment in renewable energy, an end to fossil fuel subsidies and a ban on future oil and gas drilling on public lands, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/09/politics/biden-climate-plan-election-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. Biden's coronavirus recovery plan also includes investments in greening infrastructure, buildings, power, transport and agriculture, as well as funding conservation and environmental justice.</p>
<p>However, Biden's proposal will face opposition from the Republican party, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/08/joe-biden-paris-climate-goals-0-1c" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. And it is still unclear which party will take a majority in the Senate. Any of his policies that are challenged legally would be decided by a conservative Supreme Court.</p><p>CAT pointed out that Biden could still implement some policies by executive order and that the "<a href="https://www.wearestillin.com/" target="_blank">We're Still In</a>" coalition of states and cities would continue to pursue climate action. Furthermore, U.S. action could make a difference on the international stage, The Guardian reported.</p><p>The U.S. has the world's largest economy and is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions. Biden has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-climate-agreement-biden-2648649350.html" target="_self">pledged</a> to rejoin the Paris agreement and encourage other countries to up their ambitions.</p>
<p>"It is the U.S. driving the world in this direction that will be most important," Obama U.S. special envoy for climate change Todd Stern told The Guardian. "If you have got the U.S., the EU, China working together you can expand to the whole world. It is not just about the U.S.'s domestic emissions, but the U.S. position as a world leader."</p><p>CAT noted that if the U.S. does make a net zero commitment, it would mean that 127 countries covering 63 percent of emissions had made similar pledges.</p><p>"What can other countries now do other than follow this overwhelming trend to net zero greenhouse gas emissions?" Höhne said.</p>
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President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris salute the crowd after being declared the winners of the presidential election on Nov. 7, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. ANDREW HARNIK / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Former Vice President Joe Biden defeated sitting President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election Saturday and is now set to become the 46th president of the United States.
<p>The election results, reported by several outlets including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>, pave the way for a dramatic shift in U.S. policy on the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic. While Trump repeatedly <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-rejects-us-climate-report-2621629346.html" target="_self">denied the reality</a> of climate change and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-coronavirus-misinformation-2647879036.html" target="_self">downplayed the severity</a> of COVID-19, both Biden and Vice President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/kamala-harris" target="_self">Kamala Harris</a> emphasized tackling the two crises with a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/science/" target="_self">science</a>-based approach during their victory speeches Saturday.</p><p>"Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness. To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time," Biden said during his speech in Wilmington, Delaware Saturday. "The battle to control the virus, the battle to build prosperity, the battle to secure your family's health care, the battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country, and the battle to save our planet by getting the climate under control."</p>
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<h3>COVID-19</h3><p>In his speech, Biden promised to hit the ground running on controlling the pandemic, which has killed more than 237,000 U.S. residents and infected nearly 10 million, according to The Associated Press. He said he would name a group of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> experts Monday to be ready to guide his administration's coronavirus response once he takes office Jan. 20.</p><p>On Monday, Biden named the 13-member <a href="https://buildbackbetter.com/press-releases/biden-harris-transition-announces-covid-19-advisory-board/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board</a>. It will be co-chaired by former Bush Sr. and Clinton Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. David Kessler, former Obama Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Yale public health expert Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith.</p><p>Other notable members include surgeon and writer Dr. Atul Gawande and former Trump administration whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright. Bright was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/doctor-bright-coronavirus-trump-drug-2645811981.html" target="_self">reassigned</a> from his position at the Health and Human Services Department after he objected to Trump's pushing of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVId-19.</p><p>"The inclusion of Bright, who said that he was met with skepticism by Trump administration officials when he raised concerns in the early throes of the pandemic about critical supplies shortages, is a clear signal of the contrasted direction that Biden intends to take his administration when it comes to dealing with the pandemic," <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/09/politics/biden-coronavirus-advisers-experts-rick-bright/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNN's Sarah Mucha pointed out</a>.</p><p>Biden is also expected to reverse Trump's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-world-health-organization-2646129342.html" target="_self">departure</a> from the World Health Organization upon taking office, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-first-executive-orders-measures/2020/11/07/9fb9c1d0-210b-11eb-b532-05c751cd5dc2_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported</a>.</p>
<h3>Climate Change</h3><p>Even before a winner was declared in the election, Biden <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-climate-agreement-biden-2648649350.html" target="_self">reaffirmed his commitment </a>to rejoining the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris climate agreement</a> on the first day of his presidency. His win means the Trump-initiated U.S. departure, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-agreement-us-withdrawal-2648618695.html" target="_self">which went into effect Tuesday</a>, will be short lived.</p>
<div id="c7c8c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6482a6d7dbb8e573ba852f7de1b6b91b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1325188023257083904" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">For anyone who doesn't know, @CFigueres Christiana Figueres is a key architect of the Paris climate accords, which… https://t.co/g6IfvsYMWE</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1325188023257083904">1604784420.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Biden's climate plan includes a $2 trillion dollar investment in greening infrastructure and achieving a zero-carbon energy sector by 2035, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/07/biden-climate-change-monuments/" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported further</a>. However, this will be difficult to pass if Republicans maintain control of the Senate, something which will be decided by two run-off elections in Georgia in January. If the Senate stays in Republican hands, Biden will have to rely more on executive actions to fulfill his climate agenda. He has promised to reverse the Trump administration rollback of 100 Obama-era environmental and public health regulations. He can limit oil and gas drilling on public lands, restore federal vehicle emissions standards and stop fossil fuel pipelines such as the controversial Keystone XL from being built, among other measures.</p><p>"Joe Biden ran on climate. How great is this?" Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency head and current <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> leader Gina McCarthy told The Washington Post. "It'll be time for the White House to finally get back to leading the charge against the central environmental crisis of our time."</p>
<p>There is evidence that Biden really does have a climate mandate from voters: 74 percent of Biden voters said that the climate crisis was a very important factor in their choice, according to <a href="https://morningconsult.com/exit-polling-live-updates/#section-77" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Morning Consult</a>.</p><p>Climate was also a key issue for the young voters who turned out for Biden by a large margin and may have played a deciding role in battleground states, as <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06112020/young-voters-climate-change-environmental-justice-joe-biden" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">InsideClimate News reported</a>.</p><p>"I fundamentally believe this is the first climate election, as far as climate playing a huge role during the election even with everything else going on," <a href="https://www.climatepower2020.org/" target="_blank">Climate Power 2020</a> Executive Director Lori Lodes told <a href="https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2020/11/09/stories/1063718033?utm_campaign=edition&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eenews%3Aclimatewire" target="_blank">E&E News</a>. "There's not going to be another election in U.S. history, another presidential election, where climate does not play as big or bigger of a role. This is only the beginning."</p>
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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris greet supporters in Wilmington, Delaware on August 20, 2020. Olivier Douliery / AFP / Getty Images
On Nov. 4, the U.S. officially left the Paris climate agreement, but its departure may be short lived.
<p>Former Vice President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a>, who took the lead Friday morning in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-georgia-elections-1243852669c8384493850f528534b2c7" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>, has reaffirmed his commitment to immediately rejoining the accord if he wins the 2020 presidential election against incumbent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a>.</p><p>"Today, the Trump Administration officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it," Biden tweeted late Wednesday.</p><p>The two candidates have taken opposite stances on how to address the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. Trump has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-california-biden-climate-science-2647658093.html" target="_self">repeatedly</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-rejects-us-climate-report-2621629346.html" target="_self">denied</a> climate science and worked to roll back climate policies put in place by the Obama administration, including standards for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/clean-power-plan-trump-epa-2638927020.html" target="_self">power plant</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-fuel-efficiency-proposal-2592345279.html" target="_self">vehicle emissions</a>. He has appointed former energy lobbyists to head both the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/interior-secretary-bernhardt-oil-2634420948.html" target="_self">Department of the Interior</a> and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/andrew-wheeler-epa-confirmed-2630358470.html" target="_self">Environmental Protection Agency</a>, and has completed or started the process of rescinding almost 100 environmental regulations, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html" target="_blank">New York Times tally</a>.</p>
<p>Biden, meanwhile, has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/biden-climate-plan-green-new-deal-2648128471.html" target="_self">promised</a> to spend $2 trillion over four years to boost green jobs and infrastructure and achieve a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions country-wide by 2050. While his plan is less ambitious and comprehensive than the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/green-new-deal" target="_self">Green New Deal</a>, it has received qualified praise from progressive climate activists who worked with his campaign on a Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force and helped improve the plan's ambitions.</p><p>Some of those same activists saw Biden's recommitment to the Paris agreement as a positive sign for his future administration's climate action.</p><p>"Pretty cool that<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden" target="_blank"> @JoeBiden</a>'s most confident statement yet about being the next President of the United States is about Day 1 action to address the climate crisis," <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> co-founder and political director Evan Weber tweeted. "Biden has a climate mandate, and our movement will make sure he acts on it."</p>
<p>Meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus also <a href="https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/1324159769268101120" target="_blank">noted</a> that climate change was featured on Biden's transition website.</p><p>"The American people will determine who will serve as the next President of the United States. Votes are still being counted in several states around the country," the <a href="https://buildbackbetter.com/" target="_blank">site reads</a>. "The crises facing the country are severe — from a pandemic to an economic recession, climate change to racial injustice — and the transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One."</p><p>The Paris agreement was passed in 2015 as a pledge to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and ideally to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Trump first <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/best-responses-trump-paris-agreement-2429353243.html" target="_self">announced</a> he would withdraw from the agreement in June 2017, and his administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-begins-withdrawal-paris-agreement-2641223963.html" target="_self">took action</a> to do so on Nov. 4, 2019, as soon as was possible under UN regulations. If Biden wins and rejoins Jan. 20, the U.S. would officially be back in 30 days later.</p>
<p>On his campaign website, Biden has pledged not only to rejoin the agreement, but to lobby for greater international climate ambition.</p><p>"He will lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets," the <a href="https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/" target="_blank">site says</a>. "He will make sure those commitments are transparent and enforceable, and stop countries from cheating by using America's economic leverage and power of example."</p>However, even if Biden rejoins the agreement, it may be difficult for other countries to trust U.S. leadership on the issue, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54797743" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BBC News pointed out</a>. This is the second time the U.S. has helped to negotiate an international climate deal and then been unable to maintain support at home. The Clinton administration was not able to get the Senate to agree to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
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A man in the UK protests against Trump's stated intention to leave the Paris agreement, outside the U.S. Embassy in central London on Nov. 18, 2016. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. has officially left the Paris climate agreement.
<p>However, the permanence of its departure hangs on the still-uncertain outcome of Tuesday's U.S. presidential election. While President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> made the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement, his rival former Vice President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a> has promised to rejoin "on day one," as <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/930312701/u-s-officially-leaving-paris-climate-agreement?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR2odH2LfrRnFdr85IgiFXZpS8eZl6jmQgigZHCqWmRmhv5e8Z_M4mVwInI" target="_blank">NPR pointed out</a>. Either way, the U.S. withdrawal has hurt trust in the country's ability to follow through on climate diplomacy initiated by one administration when another takes power.</p><p>"Being out formally obviously hurts the US reputation," former Obama administration climate official Andrew Light told <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54797743" target="_blank">BBC News</a>. "This will be the second time that the United States has been the primary force behind negotiating a new climate deal — with the Kyoto Protocol we never ratified it, in the case of the Paris Agreement, we left it. So, I think it's obviously a problem."</p>
<p>The landmark 2015 agreement was designed to limit the global warming causing the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and ideally to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The U.S. is currently responsible for around 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is historically the country that has contributed the most emissions to the atmosphere, NPR pointed out. Under the Paris agreement, the U.S. had pledged to reduce emissions around 25 percent by 2025 compared to 2005 levels, but it is now only on track to reduce them by 17 percent.</p><p>This is partly due to Trump administration environmental policies like the rollback of Obama-era emissions controls on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/clean-power-plan-trump-epa-2638927020.html" target="_self">power plants</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-fuel-standards-cost-2639723241.html" target="_self">vehicles</a>. Emissions rose during the first two years of Trump's presidency but have declined in 2020 because of the economic downturn caused by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic.</p>
<p>The U.S. withdrawal has also affected a global fund intended to help poorer countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis adapt to rising seas and temperatures. The U.S. had originally committed to supplying $3 billion, but the Trump administration withdrew two-thirds of that amount.</p><p>"The U.S. was a major pledger to that first funding. When they never delivered, that certainly was an impact to us," Carlos Fuller, the lead climate negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, told NPR.</p><p>Trump first formally announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris agreement in 2017, arguing that it would harm U.S. jobs, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/climate/paris-climate-agreement-trump.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>. His administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-begins-withdrawal-paris-agreement-2641223963.html" target="_self">formally began</a> the withdrawal process Nov. 4, 2019, the earliest date possible under UN rules. That process then took a year, which is why the U.S. is officially out today. If Biden wins and rejoins the agreement on Jan. 20, the reversal would be effective 30 days later.</p>
<p>The U.S. is now the only country to withdraw from the accord. It has been signed by 195 countries and ratified by 189. In the absence of U.S. leadership, other major players have pressed forward. In the past month, the European Parliament has voted to reduce emissions 60 percent by 2030, while <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/china-climate-action-2060-2648140974.html" target="_self">China has pledged</a> to reach net-zero emissions by 2060 and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/japan-carbon-neutral-2648499409.html" target="_self">Japan</a> and South Korea have both promised to do the same by 2050.</p><p>"There's momentum continuing to build even with the U.S. pulling out," Union of Concerned Scientists director Alden Meyer told The New York Times. "The question is, would it continue without the U.S. fully on board?"</p>
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Firefighters and paramedics continue to handle their normal 911 calls and COVID-19 calls in Brooklyn Park, Maryland on Oct. 27, 2020. Cases of COVID-19 continue to rise with Johns Hopkins reporting that U.S. cases have increased 41 percent in the last two weeks. ALEX EDELMAN / AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. topped nine million coronavirus cases Thursday as the pandemic continues to rage ten months since the first case was confirmed in January.
<p>Also on Thursday, the country broke its record for the most cases reported in a single day since the pandemic began: at least 89,000 new cases according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/us/coronavirus-nine-million-cases.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> and more than 91,000 according to <a href="https://www.cityam.com/us-breaks-daily-record-for-coronavirus-cases-as-total-infections-hit-nine-million/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">City A.M.</a> Together, the two figures suggest the country is no closer to getting the disease under control.</p><p>"I think it's surprising how quickly it happened," Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine infectious disease expert Dr. Larry Chang told The New York Times. "I thought we would do a better job as a country getting organized and coming up with evidence-based national plans for mitigating this epidemic. So, while I'm not surprised we reached this number, it happened a lot faster than I thought it would."</p>
<p>The U.S. continues to lead the world in both coronavirus cases and deaths, according to figures from <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins University</a>. The pandemic has claimed nearly 230,000 U.S. lives. However, daily deaths, which tend to lag behind infections, are still much lower than they were in the spring, The New York Times pointed out. They are trending at around 780 a day.</p><p>There are several indications that the disease is spreading in the U.S. like never before. The country is averaging 75,000 cases a day, the worst average so far. More than 20 states reported more cases this week than at any other time during the pandemic, and no states reported a steady decline in cases.</p>
<p>Further, 12 states set individual records Thursday for the most new cases recorded, City A.M. reported: Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio and Oregon.</p><p>"This surge is larger than any other wave or surges that we've seen yet," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee school of public health epidemiologist Amanda Simanek told The New York Times. "This is the pattern that may continue to happen if we don't suppress the infection down to levels that are manageable."</p><p>Simanek said she was worried that cases were increasing just as cold weather forced people inside, where the coronavirus spreads more readily.</p>
<p>National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci also warned about the upcoming holiday season. He said new infections were emerging because small groups of families and friends were gathering without masks and without practicing social distancing measures, and these types of get-togethers tend to increase around the holidays.</p><p>"We're going into a precarious situation," Fauci said, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-sets-covid-19-record-election-day-looming-80k-n1245277" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NBC News reported</a>.</p><p>The pandemic in the U.S. has come in three main waves, The New York Times pointed out. In the spring, spikes were concentrated in large Northeastern cities. In the summer, the Sun Belt was the hardest hit. The current surge began in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West weeks ago but has now spread throughout the country to both rural and urban areas, putting a strain on local hospitals.</p>
<p>Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah nurse Dani Beebe told The New York Times she was worried her hospital would not have the staff to tend to patients in the extra beds they had put in. And Wisconsin is running out of both intensive care unit beds and nurses, NBC News reported.<br></p><p>New cases are also surging in several battleground states in the upcoming U.S. election, City A.M. pointed out.</p><p>That contest pits President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a>, who has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-coronavirus-misinformation-2647879036.html" target="_self">repeatedly downplayed the virus</a> and now claims the U.S. is "rounding the turn" on the pandemic, according to NBC News, against former Vice President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a>, who has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-who-withdrawal-2646363849.html" target="_self">consistently criticized</a> Trump's response to the new disease.</p>
<p>One battleground state that saw an uptick in cases was Pennsylvania, which reported its 200,000th case Thursday.</p><p>"The news that Pennsylvania has passed the grim milestone of 200,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases is a tragic reminder that President Trump has failed at his most basic and essential duty, to keep American families safe," Biden said in response, as NBC News reported. "Rather than working to contain the spread of the virus, President Trump continues to peddle the lie that America is rounding the corner on this pandemic."</p>
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Donald Trump and Joe Biden arrive onstage for the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 22, 2020. JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Towards the end of the final presidential debate of the 2020 election season, the moderator asked both candidates how they would address both the climate crisis and job growth, leading to a nearly 12-minute discussion where Donald Trump did not acknowledge that the climate is changing and Joe Biden called the climate crisis an existential threat.
<p>In response to the question from moderator Kristen Welker, "How would you both combat climate change and support job growth?" Trump insisted that he loves the environment and wants clean air and water. He said that his administration has started to plant trees and there have been record drops in carbon emissions during his administration. </p><p>Trump then made a rambling remark about air pollution in India, China and Russia, before touting that he took the U.S. out of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>, giving a false version of what the Paris agreement requires of the U.S. and insisting that it would have sacrificed "tens of millions of jobs."</p>
<p><br></p><p>By contrast, Biden noted that the climate crisis and a warming planet are "an existential threat to humanity."</p><p>"We have a moral obligation to deal with it and we're told by all the leading scientists in the world we don't have much time," he said and then pointed out that scientists say we have 8 to 10 years to tackle the crisis before we pass the point of no return, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/22/climate-change-biden-trump-debate/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported.</p><p>He then went on to list infrastructure investments in charging stations to promote the use of electric cars, and retrofitting older buildings so they do not leak their heating and cooling. Biden said those upgrades will save millions of barrels of oil, help clean the environment and create more than 18 million jobs.</p>
<p><br></p><p>Trump, in his response, insisted that Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and three other female Democratic lawmakers "know nothing about the climate." Trump then claimed the plan would cost $100 trillion, even though Biden's website says his plan will cost $2 trillion.</p>
<p>Biden turned his attention to the support he has received from both environmental groups and labor unions.</p><p>The moderator then asked Trump why people of color, who are disproportionately affected by pollution since their communities are often up against oil refineries and chemical plants, should give him four more years in office.</p><p>"The families that we're talking about are employed heavily and they're making more money than they've ever made," Trump replied. He then went on to claim that he saved the oil industry.</p><p>Biden replied by talking about the effect of living next to a fence line and how important it is to keep people safe by imposing restrictions on pollution.</p><p>Trump then stopped Welker from asking her final question and asked Biden if he would close down the oil industry. Biden insisted he would stop federal subsidies of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a> and usher in a transition to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a>.</p><p>"We have to move towards a net zero emissions," Biden said.</p>
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Sunrise Movement
By Julia Conley
Weeks after the Sunrise Movement launched a swing state mobilization campaign with a plan to reach more than 1.5 million voters before Election Day, climate campaigners are showing no sign of slowing down their Get Out the Vote efforts — sending the message to young Americans that voting President Donald Trump out of office is the crucial first step in a greater effort to "build our political power in Washington."
<p>In a 12-minute ad released online Monday by the Sunrise Movement, former Bernie Sanders surrogate and climate activist Xiuhtexcatl Martinez begins by rejecting common tactics used for decades by political strategists and politicians to encourage young people to vote — from attempts to "make voting seem cool" through humor and celebrity endorsements, to efforts to shame them into going to the polls by accusing them of being "lazy and unengaged."</p><p>"While youth turnout has always been low, the stereotype that young people don't care about politics isn't true," says Martinez, one of 21 plaintiffs in <em>Juliana vs. United States</em>, in which teenagers and children <a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/federal-plaintiffs/" target="_blank">sued</a> the federal government for not protecting them from the climate crisis.</p><p>Watch:</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fe6a0f037cee6e34e08f1de0f80771a1"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pbva38xskIc?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>While young people are <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgqymn/exclusive-poll-80-of-young-voters-think-global-warming-is-a-major-threat-to-life-as-we-know-it" target="_blank">keenly aware</a> of the issues facing their generation and are <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/young-people-really-really-want-a-green-new-deal/" target="_blank">supportive</a> of legislation to mitigate the planetary emergency, Martinez argues, their attempts to get involved in politics are often thwarted by a system rife with voter suppression and mass disenfranchisement.</p><p>"In the United States, the reality is that voting is not cool," Martinez says. "Cool would be a country that empowers its citizens to vote ... Cool would be a country where the candidate who gets the most votes wins the election. Cool would be a country where unpopular politicians couldn't dismantle basic voter protections just because they know they can't stay in office without disenfranchising young voters and people of color."</p><p>"Regardless, if enough young people vote, the odds dramatically shift," he adds.</p><p>Instead of imploring young voters to unquestioningly take part in a system in which those in power have frequently ignored their demands, Martinez and the Sunrise Movement frame the general election and the choice between President Donald Trump — who openly denies the existence of the climate crisis — and Democratic candidate Joe Biden as the "one-time choice that allows us to make more meaningful choices down the line."</p><p>"Young people have the power to crush Trump, and he knows it," the Sunrise Movement tweeted on Monday. "Once he's out, and we're still in the streets, our movement can set the tone for the next four years, just like movements past."</p>
<div id="74200" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0f2fa6d041b654d56b58f80725a7caa1"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1313162842598670338" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Young people have the power to crush Trump, and he knows it. That’s why he’s trying to steal the election, but we’r… https://t.co/hkOfXLCiJK</div> — Sunrise Movement 🌅 (@Sunrise Movement 🌅)<a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/statuses/1313162842598670338">1601917393.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Martinez notes that Biden, who has angered climate action advocates in recent weeks by insisting that he has no intention of banning fracking and failing to fully embrace the call for a Green New Deal, has nevertheless shown signs of understanding that young voters and their priorities, including the climate, are not to be dismissed. In the ad, Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash explains how the task force set up by supporters of Biden and Sanders successfully <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/09/weve-moved-needle-far-more-work-do-say-progressives-biden-sanders-panels-unveil" target="_blank">pushed</a> the Democratic candidate to adopt a more ambitious plan for decarbonization.</p><p>The ad compares Biden to former President Lyndon Johnson, who signed the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act into law after decades of voting against civil rights in Congress.</p><p>"Relentless activist movement" was behind the legislation Johnson signed in the 1960s, Martinez says. Facing civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis, he adds, "The narrative shifted and Johnson was forced to meet the moment. So while we do not approve of Biden's record or even some aspects of his platform, we must elect him and work tirelessly towards hearing him sing the songs of our movement."</p>
<p>"We have reached our most defining moment in electoral politics," Martinez says. "Our ability to push forward the agendas of our generation will be determined not only by how we vote going into November but how we mobilize the morning after the election."</p><p>The ad was released as 350.org launched its own GOTV effort in states including Colorado, California, Minnesota, and Washington. Thousands of staffers and volunteers with the organization's local chapters are working to make 350,000 calls to voters before Election Day, as well as text banking and sending postcards.</p><p>"We're ramping up our get out the vote efforts because we know that to effectively address the climate crisis, we need solutions across sectors that prioritize those most impacted — Black, Indigenous, communities of color, workers and low income communities," said Dominique Thomas, New York and Mid-Atlantic organizer for 350.org. "Climate justice and action cannot exist in a silo — we need leaders who see the interconnectedness of lowering emissions and cutting pollution with housing rights, economic justice, racial justice, and healthcare. This November, we're rising up to make sure our demands are heard."</p>
<p>Members of 350 Colorado aim to reach 130,000 voters in their state, while in California, 350 Bay Area Action is working with five partner organizations to target voters in Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado. The group has so far conducted 37 virtual phone banks in which 800 volunteers made 50,000 calls.</p><p>"Our volunteers know that the stakes in this election could not be higher. Our country will go one way or another in November. It is essential that we secure leadership that will protect the environment and the climate. There is simply no more time," said Marti Roach, lead organizer for the 350 Bay Area Action "Go Green, Vote Blue" phone bank campaign.</p><p>In the Sunrise ad, Martinez urged voters to "join our movement and get to work right away to send Trump and the Republicans a simple message: Get out of the way. We've got work to do." </p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/06/vowing-crush-trump-must-watch-ad-climate-campaigners-mobilize-election-nationwide?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Trump steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Oct. 1, 2020. He returned to Washington, DC after attending a fundraiser in Bedminster, New Jersey. MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump tweeted just before 1 a.m. Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania Trump, had tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement, White House physician Dr. Sean P. Conley said that he "received confirmation" of the diagnosis. "The president and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," he said.
<p>The announcement that the president and the first lady will isolate immediately raised questions about an election that is just 32 days away and has already been upended by the novel coronavirus, as <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/latest-updates-trump-covid-19-results/2020/10/02/919385151/president-trump-and-first-lady-test-positive-for-covid-19" target="_blank">NPR</a> reported.</p><p>The White House changed Trump's schedule for Friday to cancel a fundraiser in Washington, DC and a campaign rally in Florida. According to NPR, Trump is expected to remain home for the next two weeks and cancel all of his campaign events, but he will continue to work.</p><p>Trump is not the first head of state to test positive for COVID-19. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalized for COVID-19 complications. Prince Charles also had it, as have the president and first lady of Brazil, as well as the leaders of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Bolivia, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>The announcement of the positive test came hours after Trump acknowledged that a close aide, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for COVID-19. She had traveled with him on Air Force One after Tuesday night's debate in Cleveland, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hope-hicks-close-trump-aide-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/2020/10/01/af238f7c-0444-11eb-897d-3a6201d6643f_story.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p><p>Trump has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus, even mocking Joe Biden in Tuesday night's debate for his habit of wearing a mask. "I don't wear masks like him," the president said derisively in Tuesday night's debate. "Every time you see him, he's got a mask." He went on to say that even when Biden was 200-feet away he'd wear an oversized mask.</p>
<p>Trump is 74 and obese, which puts him in the high-risk category for COVID-19 complications, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/01/politics/hope-hicks-positive-coronavirus/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. If his condition deteriorates, it will raise questions about whether or not he should remain on the ballot, even though voting has already started in some states, according to The New York Times.</p><p>The New York Times reported that Trump's senior aides were grappling with how widespread the infection is amongst White House officials, who rarely wear masks in deference to the president's disdain for them. Trump's aides were undecided overnight whether or not he should give an address from the White House on Friday or find another way to address the public.</p>
<p>Prior to the announcement that Trump and the first lady both tested positive for the virus, he had attended a fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster, NJ. According to The Washington Post, Trump was in close contact with aides, confidants, and dozens of others at the roundtable event.</p><p>At Tuesday's debate, Joe Biden denounced the way Trump has encouraged people to flout best practices for stopping the transmission of the virus that has claimed the lives of over 200,000 Americans.</p><p>"He's been totally irresponsible the way in which he has handled the social distancing and people wearing masks, basically encouraged them not to. He's a fool on this," Biden said about Trump, as The Washington Post reported.</p>
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