17-year-old Shreya Ramachandran has already won awards for her research into reusing "grey water." Shreya Ramachandran
By Jeremy Deaton
Shreya Ramachandran, 17, remembers witnessing California's water crisis firsthand on a visit to Tulare County in 2014, when she was still a preteen. Tulare spans a large swath of farmland in California's Central Valley, and at that time, locals were facing dire water shortages amid an ongoing drought made worse by climate change.
<p>"I was talking to some of the people in the area whose wells completely ran dry, and they were left without water because they weren't connected to the central water grid. They were trucking water in for even basic needs," she said. "I was really affected by their stories, and I wanted to do something to help."</p><p>The experience spurred Ramachandran, who lives in Fremont, California, to find ways to reuse water from sinks, showers and laundry machines, what's known as grey water, to help people better cope with intense drought. She has won <a href="https://www.thegreywaterproject.org/awards-honors" target="_blank">numerous awards</a> for her research, was named a global finalist in the 2019 Google Science Fair, and is featured in the forthcoming PBS Peril and Promise climate change documentary, <em><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-power-of-us-confronting-our-climate-change-crisis-registration-136632434289" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Power of Us</a></em>.</p><p>Ramachandran said that after she returned home from Tulare she made every effort to conserve water in her life. She took shorter showers and turned off the tap when brushing her teeth, but it had little effect on how much her house consumed.</p><p>Around that time, Ramachandran's grandmother was visiting from India, and she had brought with her a handful of soap nuts. A soap nut, also known as a soap berry, is a small yellow or brown fruit encased in a hard, brown shell. Soap nuts are native to India, where they are used for bathing. Massage one in a bowl of water, and it will begin to lather and smell of apples, Ramachandran said.</p>
<p>"I was using them as a shampoo, and I was thinking, 'Okay, if they can be used for this purpose, maybe soap nuts can be used as an alternative laundry detergent as well. And then we can reuse the water because soap nuts are all-natural,'" she said. "The best ideas come to you when you're in the shower."</p><p>Ramachandran said that soap nuts, which are often sold as a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eco-Nuts-Organic-Laundry-Detergent/dp/B003OUALB6?th=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">detergent</a>, make for an effective cleaning agent. One only needs to put four or five nuts in a cloth bag and toss it in with their laundry, and they can reuse that bag of nuts as many as 10 times, making soap nuts significantly cheaper than organic detergent. Ramachandran wanted to see if the leftover water could be used to nourish plants.</p><p>"I read a ton of papers. I developed a project plan. And I contacted universities up and down in California. I sent so many cold emails, did so many cold calls until, finally, a really wonderful professor at UC Berkeley agreed to look over my project plan and greenlight it," she said.</p><p>That professor was environmental scientist Céline Pallud, who studies soil. She said that Ramachandran's experiments were comparable to the work of a college student, which she said was "extremely impressive," given that she was only 12 when she undertook the research.</p>
<p>Ramachandran tested the laundry water on tall fescue, a type of turfgrass, and an assortment of vegetables, comparing the effect of soap nuts with organic and conventional soaps and detergents. That would mean setting up dozens of pots in a highly controlled space.</p><p>"I kicked my parents out of the master bedroom because I needed a space that was as close to a greenhouse as possible, and the master bedroom had ideal—and I mean, seriously, ideal—lighting and temperature conditions," she said. Fortunately, her parents, both computer engineers, were willing to accommodate her.</p><p>"I didn't take her seriously at first and tried to talk her into considering alternate places," said her mother, Hiran Rajagopalan. "Ultimately, I didn't want to disappoint her. After all, she was only trying to do science." </p><p>Ramachandran tracked nutrients and bacteria in the soil and kept a close eye on the health of the grass. She looked for traces of E. coli, which can make people severely ill if consumed. She worked continuously, even on Christmas and New Year's Day, and she took advanced classes in statistics to learn how to analyze all the data collected.</p>
<p>"I found that grey water from soap nuts, as well as several organic detergents, could be reused safely for non-potable uses," she said. "But grey water that was generated from [conventional] soaps that had things like soluble salts and boron, that became very detrimental because those ingredients accumulated in the grey water and then made it unusable for crop irrigation."</p><p>Ramachandran went on to found her own nonprofit, <a href="https://www.thegreywaterproject.org/" target="_blank">The Grey Water Project</a>, which teaches people how to recycle grey water in their own homes. She does workshops at schools, libraries and corporate events, and she developed a grey water science curriculum that has been implemented in more than 90 schools so far.</p><p>"I tell people what the best practices are for grey water reuse. And I let them know, 'These are the detergents you should be using," she said. "My ultimate goal is essentially for grey water reuse to be just as common as paper or plastic recycling."</p><p>Ramachandran, now a senior in high school, is applying to colleges and has already been accepted to Stanford. She wants to study biology and environmental science to continue the kind of work she is already doing. But she also wants to study public policy to help make use of good science.</p><p>"I've learned a lot about what it means to be a scientist," she said. "You can use science to develop the solutions, but it's equally important to implement them."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from Nexus Media.</em></p>
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Exterior of Cold Tube demonstration pavilion. Lea Ruefenacht
By Gloria Oladipo
In the face of dangerous heat waves this summer, Americans have taken shelter in air conditioned cooling centers. Normally, that would be a wise choice, but during a pandemic, indoor shelters present new risks. The same air conditioning systems that keep us cool recirculate air around us, potentially spreading the coronavirus.
<p>"Air conditioners look like they're bringing in air from the outside because they go through the window, but it is 100 percent recirculated air," said Forrest Meggers, an assistant professor of architecture at Princeton University. "If you had a system that could cool without being focused solely on cooling air, then you could actually open your windows."</p><p>Meggers and an international team of researchers have developed a safer way for people to beat the heat — a highly efficient cooling system that doesn't move air around.</p><p>Scientists lined door-sized panels with tiny tubes that circulate cold water. Stand next to a panel, and you can feel it drawing heat away from your body. Unlike air conditioners, these panels can be used with the window open — or even outdoors — making it possible to cool off while also getting some fresh air. This reduces the risk of spreading airborne viruses, like the coronavirus.</p>
<p>"If you look at what the health authorities and governments are saying, the safest place to be during this pandemic is outside," said Adam Rysanek, an assistant professor of environmental systems at the University of British Columbia, who was part of the research effort. "We're trying to find a way to keep you cool in a heat wave with the windows wide open, because the air is fresh. It's just that it's hot."</p><p>Cooling panels have been around for a while, but in limited use, because scientists haven't found a good way to deal with condensation. Like a cold can of Coke on a hot summer day, cooling panels collect drops of water, so they have to be paired with dehumidifiers indoors to stay dry. Otherwise, overhead panels might drip water on people standing underneath.</p><p>Meggers and his colleagues got around this problem by developing a thin, transparent membrane that repels condensation. This is the key breakthrough behind their cooling technology. Because it stays dry, it can be used in humid conditions, even outdoors.</p>
<p>In air conditioners, a dehumidifier dries out the air to prevent condensation. This component uses an enormous amount of energy, around half of the total power consumed by the air conditioner, researchers said. The new membrane they developed eliminates condensation with no energy cost, making the cooling panels significantly more efficient than a typical AC unit.</p><p>The research team involved scientists from the University of British Columbia, Princeton, UC Berkeley and the Singapore-ETH Centre. They published their <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/08/17/2001678117" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">findings</a> in the <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em>.</p><p>"This study demonstrates that we can maintain comfortable conditions for people without cooling all the air around them," said Zoltan Nagy, an assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas, who was not affiliated with the study. "Probably the most significant demonstration of this study is that humans can be provided with comfort in a very challenging thermal environment using a very efficient method."</p>
<p>Researchers developed their technology for use in the persistently hot, muggy climate of Singapore, where avoiding condensation would be particularly difficult.</p><p>To test their design, they assembled a set of cooling panels into a small tunnel, roughly the size of a school bus. The tunnel, dubbed the "Cold Tube," sat in a plaza in the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore. Scientists surveyed dozens of people about how they felt after walking through the tunnel. Even as the temperature neared 90 degrees F outside, most participants reported feeling comfortable in the Cold Tube.</p>Scientists said they want to make their technology available to consumers as quickly as possible, for use in homes and offices, or outdoors. Climate change is producing <a href="https://time.com/5627355/climate-change-heat-waves/" target="_blank">more severe heat</a>, which is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/29/the-air-conditioning-trap-how-cold-air-is-heating-the-world" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">driving demand</a> for air conditioners. Researchers hope their cooling panel will offer a more energy-efficient alternative to AC units. If consumers can use less power, that will help cut down on the pollution that is driving climate change.
<p>Before they can sell the panels, researchers said they need to make them hardy enough to survive outdoors. The anti-condensation membrane is currently so thin that you could tear it with a pencil, so it must be made stronger. Scientists also need to demonstrate that the panels work efficiently indoors. Hospitals and schools in Singapore have already shown interest in the cooling system.</p><p>"We know the physics works. Now we need to do one more test so we have a bit more of a commercially viable product," Rysanek said. "It's really about trying to get this into people's hands as quickly as possible."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/new-cooling-technology-protects-against-severe-heat-and-viral-spread-1e5b96ae793a" target="_blank">Nexus Media.</a></em></p>
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More and more Americans are retrofitting their bathrooms with high-end bidets, allowing them to enjoy cleanliness and hygiene without creating as much paper waste. Not all bidets are created equal, however, and before deciding on a particular brand, it's important to do your homework. Take a look at our comprehensive Toto bidet review, and our reviews of Tushy and Omigo, to learn more about all of their options.
<h2>Toto overview</h2><p>Toto is a company that has been around for over 100 years. They aim to improve people's quality of life, and they do that specifically by focusing on bathrooms. To that end, Toto is known for high-quality products including toilets, faucets, showers, bathtubs, and bidets. </p><p>Toto has also expressed an admirable commitment to ecological stewardship. As <a href="https://www.totousa.com/about-toto/toto-way" target="_blank">their corporate website</a> notes, they strive to "protect the global environment by conserving finite natural resources and energy." One example of this is their donation of any imperfectly fired porcelain products for recycling and reuse as porcelain floor tile. Their <a href="https://www.totousa.com/about-toto/living-toto-library/smart-sustainable-packaging-solution" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">packaging</a> uses differing levels of recycled post-consumer paper products while their forklifts operate using <a href="https://www.totousa.com/about-toto/living-toto-library/plant-based-hydraulics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">plant-based hydraulics</a> made from soybean oil instead of traditional hydraulic oil.</p><p>Toto is definitely a company with a superior reputation when it comes to bathroom accessories in general, and bidets in particular. Here are reviews of some of the specific products in the Toto line.</p><h2>Toto bidet reviews</h2><p>There are two different bidet product families available from Toto: standalone bidets and bidet seat attachments. Their standalone models include the Piedmont bidet, the Lloyd bidet, and the Clayton bidet, while their bidet toilet seat offerings include a wide selection in the popular Washlet line. Here are details on the three standalone options and three of the most popular bidet seat attachments.</p><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><h3>Toto standalone bidets</h3><h4></h4>
<h2>Toto bidet pros and cons<br></h2><p>Whether you're considering a standalone bidet or a bidet seat attachment, here are some of the pros and cons to help you compare your options.</p><h3>Pros</h3><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Standalone bidets, such as the ones offered by Toto, are designed in a wider range of elegant, contemporary styles. If you are looking to remodel your bathroom, splurging for a standalone bidet makes sense.</li><li>Toto offers a wide selection of bidet and bidet attachment options. Some of their more advanced units feature night lights, adjustable nozzle positions, warm air dryers, and adjustable settings for the temperature of the water.</li><li>All of the Toto bidet attachments we reviewed include self-cleaning nozzles for added hygiene. They are also designed for DIY installation, and easily connect to your existing toilet's water supply without the need for a plumber or electrician.</li></ul><h3>Cons</h3><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Toto's line of standalone bidets and bidet seat attachments are more expensive than some other brands, especially some of their more high-end models.</li><li>Standalone bidets may not be as convenient for those who have mobility issues.</li><li>All of Toto's bidet seat attachments are electric, and don't feature an eco or energy-saving mode like some other options.</li></ul><h2>The benefits of buying a bidet</h2><p>Why buy a bidet at all? There are plenty of perks, both for you and the planet:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Bidets offer a more thorough, hygienic cleaning than toilet paper.</li><li>They're considerably more eco-friendly, using less water and paper.</li><li>Because you'll use so much less toilet paper, bidets are also more cost-effective.</li><li>Compared with TP, bidets can be really soothing to the skin.</li><li>They have special benefits for women, and especially pregnant women, helping minimize the risk of a UTI.</li><li>Bidets are highly accessible, even to those with limited mobility.</li><li>A bidet makes it much easier to teach your children about proper bathroom hygiene.</li></ul><h2>Considerations when buying a bidet</h2><p>As you consider all of your options for getting a bidet, here are a few of the key factors to consider:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Look for a bidet with a self-cleaning nozzle. This will help keep things hygienic.</li><li>Electric vs. non-electric? Electric bidets can offer more comfort features, like a heated seat, but they also use more energy than a non-electric one.</li><li>Is it a standalone bidet, a bidet seat, or a bidet attachment? While a standalone bidet is a completely separate fixture from your toilet, a bidet seat will completely replace your existing seat and a bidet attachment will be installed onto your existing toilet seat. These are usually the least expensive, but also come with the fewest features.</li><li>Does the bidet connect to your home's hot water? If it doesn't, you will only be able to clean with cold water.</li><li>Make sure you can adjust the settings. For the most comfortable bidet, look for controls that let you customize the water pressure, the angle of the water stream, the temperature of the water, and the temperature of the seat, if it is heated.</li></ul><p>Use these questions to determine whether the bidets from Toto are right for you.</p><h2>Toto bidets: a leader in comfort and efficiency</h2><p>Toto makes durable, elegant, and highly functional products that will allow you to enjoy all the hygienic and environmental benefits of a bidet. You can also read our full review of the best bidets to compare with other brands like Brondell, Kohler, Tushy, and BioBidet.</p><p><em><strong>Josh Hurst </strong></em><em>is a journalist, critic, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. His writing on natural health, nutrition, and supplements has appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.</em></p>
Piedmont
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MDgyMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMjI3MjE3Nn0.QqBs95yaFQnGwAuf0t3XaSCc7pvrSEUalnl9UulrODg/img.jpg?width=980" id="a0c63" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9d10ad2b08c5d00642b44787c1b099ad" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Toto USA
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-BT500B-01-Piedmont-Vertical/dp/B00084P3GO/ref=sr_1_3?crid=ZG6AGN0U9VQL&dchild=1&keywords=toto+piedmont+bidet&qid=1613591898&sprefix=toto+piedmo%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-3" target="_blank">Toto's Piedmont bidet</a> offers an elegant, classic design, and it also comes with built-in safeguards that prevent it from ever overflowing. It is available in several color options, and will look good with any contemporary bathroom design.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> This is the most affordable standalone bidet in Toto's catalog. This bidet is a good option if you are remodeling your bathroom or are building a home and want to save water and paper waste from the start. Priced starting at $533, you can find it through other retailers for around $280.</p>
$533
Lloyd
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MDgzMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTU0Nzk0Nn0.h9XeFBojZff_4Un8swlIoamX7xAwO1wH3RKAiiZb96k/img.jpg?width=980" id="e5d22" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="83ff9c9b3ed8f1b5e92ff99c14ad9b0c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Toto USA
<p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-BT930B-01-Vertical-Cotton/dp/B0015IVUOQ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=toto%2Blloyd%2Bbidet&qid=1613592001&sr=8-2&th=1" target="_blank">Lloyd bidet</a> has a much bolder, "skirted" design, but it also shares the Piedmont's flushing rim and integral overflow features, which keep you from ever experiencing spillage.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>This is a fancier product with a more striking appearance, and is mainly suited for a larger, more formal design. It retails for a slightly higher price point: The Lloyd model starts at $780 in total, but you can find it for $526 through other retailers.</p>
$780
Clayton
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MDgzMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTI4MTYyNn0.xNOnfejHaWbEVHRbO1vFVdUoWbFvevja40qRVr6L4dI/img.jpg?width=980" id="df200" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0cdb567e670fb2e46f50fbc43c99158c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Toto USA
<p>The company's flagship standalone bidet is known as the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-BT784B-01-Clayton-Vertical/dp/B0018L9JUC/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=toto+clayton+bidet&qid=1613592108&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Clayton</a>. It includes the same overflow safeguards as the other two, and of course, each of these products is backed by Toto's longstanding commitment to excellent craftsmanship.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>This is the most traditional in its visual style, and, with a number of colors to choose from, it will look great in almost any bathroom design. The Clayton starts at $734, but is available through other retailers for around $426.</p>
$734
<h3>Toto bidet seats</h3>
Toto Washlet C200
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MDgzNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MTY3OTY1M30.3coYAuyqJLBcw8hQszI8Shbcfyr6nn9V0ek-kXv2kgQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="61762" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b7c91d2511149e271c7f0139f1580788" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Toto USA
<p>This electronic smart bidet seat fits onto your existing toilet bowl and offers a number of comfort features, including a heated seat, automatic air deodorizer, adjustable warm water, warm air dryer, self-cleaning wand, and a wireless remote control.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> We chose the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UCIOX2Q/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=-XjvJQOmffOcAmiCOZvtAA&hsa_cr_id=7413316040901&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=0e0e7f3d-0baf-4977-85d3-663f618a76d8&pd_rd_w=Yi3yF&pd_rd_wg=LUFHB&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_lsi3d_asin_1_img" target="_blank">Toto C200</a> as the overall best bidet in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/best-bidet-toilet-seats-2650502928.html" target="_self">our review</a> of top brands. In addition to the features mentioned, its dual action oscillating and pulsating spray and pre-mist function provide a comfortable and sanitary clean.</p>
$715
Toto Washlet S500e with EWATER+
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MDgzOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTgzNTIyMH0.idaacYO4MzHGTeajRkSCVHOo3TH7tehRN8TAH2s75ko/img.jpg?width=980" id="f6ed5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87fa67b17e4c8e06f74bfbce87bf4809" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Toto USA
<p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-SW3046-01-Electronic-Contemporary/dp/B078GTKSXK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=15NGPC9YFANKH&dchild=1&keywords=toto+s500e&qid=1613960063&sprefix=toto+s500e%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Toto Washlet S500e</a> bidet seat includes the features found in the C200, plus instantaneous water heating, front and rear wash functions, two-user preset memory, and the company's <a href="https://www.totousa.com/technologies/ewater" target="_blank">EWATER+ technology</a>. This system uses electrolyzed water to keep the wand and toilet bowl clean.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> This high-end Toto electric bidet seat can help you reduce water and toilet paper use, and it can help reduce the need for chemical cleaning products with its EWATER+ technology.</p>
$1530
Toto Washlet A100
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MDg0Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzU0OTU3MH0.g2PYzguGXvB1l7RvWBcw_xNtlpy8hsmcwui8Twr3CMA/img.jpg?width=980" id="08295" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d3d798b5d7737cddaadfd9f6fa5a84d6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Toto USA
<p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-SW2014-01-Electronic-SoftClose/dp/B0165UFOGS/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=30E9Y1LAN9ZRW&dchild=1&keywords=toto+washlet+a100+elongated+bidet+toilet+seat&qid=1613589664&sprefix=toto+washlet+a100%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFBR1FMUTdJR1hXNUEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyNjIwOTkxUE1EWk5CQjg2QTZPJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0NDc1MzExSk1UMk5CQzJYVUhVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==" target="_blank">A100</a> is an entry-level Washlet bidet attachment, but still offers numerous comfort features. It includes a heated seat with temperature control, aerated warm water with a dual action spray, and an attached arm control panel.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>One of the most affordable Toto bidet options, it still lets you adjust the water temperature and pressure settings, and features rear and front cleaning functionality for a feminine wash.</p>
$499
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José Catzim Castillo throws a freshly caught lobster into his father's net. Agostino Petroni and Sandali Handagama
By Agostino Petroni and Sandali Handagama
José "Josh" Catzim Castillo, a 25-year-old lobster fisher, circles a hollow concrete box resting on the seafloor, just off the coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. He slips a snare into the box and shakes it. Three spiny lobsters, or langostas, shoot out and try to flee, but Castillo is too quick.
<p>He surfaces, hoisting his catch. Its tail snaps loudly, and its antennae makes a <a href="https://jeb.biologists.org/content/205/16/2375" target="_blank">high-pitched squeak</a>. Castillo's father, Pablo Catzim Pech, 51, hauls the <a href="https://oceana.org/marine-life/cephalopods-crustaceans-other-shellfish/caribbean-spiny-lobster" target="_blank">spiny lobster</a> into their fishing boat. The creature is one of most sought after crustaceans in the Caribbean. Marked by its thick antennae and sharp spines that run the length of its body, it can sell for <a href="http://www.keywestseafooddepot.com/Spiny-Lobster-Tails-by-the-pound_p_80.html" target="_blank">$40 a pound</a> in the United States.</p><p>Castillo and his father Pech are part of a <a href="https://www.pesqueracozumel.com/historia-cooperativa-cozumel" target="_blank">collective</a> with exclusive rights to fish spiny lobsters in <em>Maria Elena </em>bay<em>, </em>part of Mexico's <em>Sian Ka'an</em> national park. The lobster fishers of <em>Maria Elena</em> are an ecological success story. Even as the lobsters face increasingly chaotic weather and overfishing around the Caribbean, they are flourishing in the bay, thanks to the efforts of the collective.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU3MzQ2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTA1NTM4OH0.hwjELefaSudMF3-CMbB1ZUbNG8Jg_iLoR1GGsgAR9ys/img.jpg?width=980" id="1d4d6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1741c9460b45d998b7f44ef33ed6e02e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="666" />
Castillo is left behind in the ocean, as his father, Pech, steers the boat away from the rain to keep the lobsters alive. Agostino Petroni and Sandali Handagama
<p>When it starts to rain, Pech dips two rags in the ocean and spreads them over the plastic crates attached to the sides of his boat, each one filled with dozens of lobsters submerged in saltwater. Pech steers the boat back to shore, leaving Castillo with only his mask and flippers — and no life jacket — in the ocean behind him.</p><p>"Sweetwater kills the lobsters," Pech said.</p><p>Climate change is bringing <a href="https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/joc.3889" target="_blank">more intense rainfall</a> to the region, flooding the bay with freshwater, menacing the lobsters, which can only survive in <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/outreach-and-education/fun-facts-about-luscious-lobsters" target="_blank">saltwater</a>. The fishers say they are finding it harder to understand the weather. To make matters worse, rising seas are eroding the narrow beaches of <em>Maria Elena</em>. Seven years ago, a hurricane destroyed all but one cabana along the beach, while rainwater stagnated in the bay and killed many lobsters.</p><p>Then there is overfishing. Since the 1980s, lobster populations have dropped as much as 40 percent across the Caribbean, according to Eloy Sosa, a marine biologist at the research center <a href="https://www.ecosur.mx/" target="_blank">Ecosur</a>, who works with Castillo's collective to protect the spiny lobster.<em> </em>The crustaceans are diminishing in number and becoming harder to find, so fishers are having to dive as much as 40 meters underwater, weighed down by oxygen tanks, to try to nab them.</p><p>That's not the case in <em>Maria Elena</em>, where the lobsters are thriving. The bay's newest lobsterman, Jose Eduardo Uitz, actually came to the reserve because he no longer wanted to risk his life going deeper into the ocean to catch lobsters. In <em>Maria Elena</em>, they lie just under the surface.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU3MzQ2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NjgzODI5MX0.mjpEPoiBJwRhJWq_c0rt6CrEjNDj2rMn0QpFwJBPP2s/img.jpg?width=980" id="83184" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="96c57c2c64b2de56a5a96de22d4fc41e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="666" />
Fishers of Maria Elena prepare to go to sea. Agostino Petroni and Sandali Handagama
<p><em>Maria Elena </em>wasn't always a lobster haven, however. The collective was granted special permission to fish in the reserve after it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, but it wasn't until a decade later that the collective adopted sustainable fishing practices.</p><p>"Nobody knew anything about sustainability back then. Fishermen would take the eggs from a pregnant lobster, go home and scramble them with chicken eggs," Pech said.</p><p>Things changed when scientists like Sosa began conducting workshops inside the park, showing the fishers how to protect the lobsters by allowing them enough time to grow and reproduce. Thanks to the collective's efforts, lobster numbers have risen in <em>Maria Elena</em>, though they have yet to return to levels seen in the 1980s.</p><p>"The old men say that when they first arrived, there were so many lobsters that they even used to walk up to the shore," Castillo said.</p><p>Today's fishers are far more responsible than their forebears. They treat the crustacean like an investment and guard it jealously, hoping to nurture it back to its former glory.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU3MzQ2Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDQzNDcwMH0.oQhr2Y0FebDchE6D0hC5OmV63qKLdHhq--NkU_pvQ_4/img.jpg?width=980" id="6080d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a8e51e6faa5354a41c65849f448f01fa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="598" />
Pablo Catzim Pech measures the tail of a smaller lobster with a 5-inch ruler. If the tail is shorter than the ruler, he will throw the lobster back into the ocean. Agostino Petroni and Sandali Handagama
<p>"Being in <em>Maria Elena</em> is a privilege," Sosa said. "If an associate breaks the rules, the punishment is tough. They could expel you from the collective."</p><p>A descendant of <em>Maria Elena</em>'s founders, Castillo knows this better than most. He is still trying to earn his place in the collective, waiting for a position to open up in the group of 50. For now, he is just an employee of his father, who is a member.</p><p>"I hope he will take charge of everything. I am teaching him everything about the lobster fields, the reef, and how to be a good captain," Pech said.</p><p>To keep the lobsters healthy, Pech inspects each one that Castillo catches. If it looks too small, he measures it. If the tail is shorter than the five-inch ruler, he throws the lobster back into the sea.</p><p>"We also free the biggest lobsters, weighing more than six pounds. The market doesn't pay their value. They are usually females, and they keep the species alive," he said.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU3MzQ2OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDkwODAyOX0.D7EMlv8SfQ0_3oOhnX3bYaBLvy_LWrbKVViQ5bDJjOE/img.jpg?width=980" id="051e8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2a50126ad7cb128fc6953921b14f9ffe" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="666" />
Lobster tails, cut from the animals that died during capture, are collected in a bucket to be sold separately from the live exports. Agostino Petroni and Sandali Handagama
<p>When the lobster fishers throw a female back into the ocean, they not only protect the local population, they also support lobster populations in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0064970" target="_blank">other parts</a> of the Caribbean. The females lay millions of eggs that grow into larvae and float along ocean currents to new homes thousands of miles away.</p><p>After measuring and sorting the lobsters, the fishers send them to Cozumel to be sold. Occasionally, they keep a few for themselves, to be cooked on a hot skillet in a crowded cabana on the beach. It is a small indulgence for fishers who have nurtured the lobsters back into abundance in<em> Maria Elena</em> bay.</p><p>"The biggest threat to this place is us," Pech said. "We are in the lobsters' habitat. It is our livelihood, but we are invading a place we do not belong."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/these-mexican-lobstermen-are-a-model-of-sustainable-fishing-30b6a48fcd15" target="_blank">Nexus Media.</a></em></p>
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Matteo Farinella
Art by Matteo Farinella, written by Jeremy Deaton
Algal blooms are killing wildlife and making people sick. Here's how we aided their reign of terror.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzI4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzAxOTg4OH0.v2rUWRbtPdOVKvzdRle8OtTgeN_TlTzqb7HSIZD6F44/img.jpg?width=980" id="36023" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="82f9973707870be093555b6e0a251bac" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1600" data-height="1962" />
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzI5MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODIzMjY3Nn0.U9vYdozyRYc3ObJj67Dq4GgbsFVuaNcKYttSRFop4zE/img.jpg?width=980" id="c8d7a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bce34da63759882e79a94976d96ba992" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1600" data-height="1968" />
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzI5MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Mjc0MjI4M30.I9UC2cNZUaiynurmOc1iBugWvz3dvN393Q8f2w2Ka4A/img.jpg?width=980" id="f48b0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1051b0fa0627a29a34936592243d2c5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1600" data-height="1941" />
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzI5Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTk2ODM3OX0.dYSDiiQisvb-9xQIEuhvF7R_-dB-wBxkz02oct1smjY/img.jpg?width=980" id="be8f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f2fa260d81d63050905e66ffb8ca0e46" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1600" data-height="1933" /><p><em>Matteo Farinella is a neuroscientist-turned-cartoonist who uses comics to explain science.</em> <em>You can follow him </em><a href="https://twitter.com/matteofarinella" target="_blank"><em>@matteofarinella</em></a><em>. Jeremy Deaton writes for </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media</em></a><em>, a nonprofit climate change news service. You can follow him </em><a href="https://twitter.com/deaton_jeremy" target="_blank"><em>@deaton_jeremy</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><em><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/toxic-algae-are-a-menace-humans-are-giving-them-ammunition-cc8905d2846f" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>. </em><em></em></em></p>
<p><br/></p><br/><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/@nexus_media?source=post_page-----cc8905d2846f----------------------" target="_blank"></a>
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Hundreds of people protest Puerto Rico's neglect in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, during a march in New York City on Sept. 19, 2019. Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty Images
By Jeremy Deaton
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are in a dead heat in Texas, a state that has swung Republican in every presidential election since 1976. If Biden pulls off the unthinkable and defeats Trump in Texas, it will be by mobilizing Latino voters.
<p>This fact could play into the ongoing debate in Democratic circles over the party's position on climate change, which is a <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/race-and-climate-change/" target="_blank">leading issue</a> for Latinos. Biden's climate advisory council, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former secretary of state John Kerry, has put forward an ambitious climate plan which bans fracking and oil exports — policies that could turn out Latinos in states like Texas and Arizona. This stands in contrast to Biden's current, relatively modest climate plan, which permits fracking, a concession to gas-rich states like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Sources told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-climate-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-democratic-party-irked-by-councils-insurgent-climate-plan-sources-idUSKBN23M1DO" target="_blank">Reuters</a> that the more modest plan is likely to win out. This could come at the cost of Latino votes.</p><p>"Given what we know about Latinos and their interest in voting for candidates who are pro-climate, we think they are a really important group that could be mobilized," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. "They could potentially make a really big difference in states like Texas and Colorado and Arizona."</p>
<h2>Latinos Are Really Worried About Climate Change. Democrats and Climate Advocacy Groups Aren't Capitalizing on This Fact.</h2><p>Latinos consistently vote in <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/01/historic-highs-in-2018-voter-turnout-extended-across-racial-and-ethnic-groups/" target="_blank">smaller numbers</a> than other groups. The reasons are varied. Latinos often face structural barriers, like onerous <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/poll-prri-voter-suppression/565355/" target="_blank">voter ID laws</a> or long lines at <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/there-are-868-fewer-places-to-vote-in-2016-because-the-supreme-court-gutted-the-voting-rights-act/" target="_blank">polling places</a>. Many are immigrants or the children of immigrants and have never voted nor seen their parents vote. The biggest factor, however, may be that politicians are <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/candidates-need-young-people-boost-latino-voter-turnout-here-s-n1138346" target="_blank">failing</a> to reach Latinos or failing to speak to issues Latinos care about, said Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, assistant dean for civic engagement at the University of Texas.</p><p>"There is a need to attack apathy," she said. "While structural barriers do have an impact, the problem is apathy and figuring out what policies connect most to people." Consistently, Latinos say they <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-latino-mind-may-2017/" target="_blank">want policies</a> that address climate change.</p><p>"Many people assume that the only people who really care about climate change are white, well-educated, upper-middle-income, latte-sipping liberals, and it's just not true," Leiserowitz said. "Actually, the racial and ethnic group that cares more about climate change than any other is Latinos."</p><p>Compared to other groups, Latinos are <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-latino-mind-may-2017/" target="_blank">more worried</a> about the crisis, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2018.00058/full" target="_blank">more willing</a> to take action, and <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Climate-Change-Latino-mind-May-2017.pdf" target="_blank">more likely</a> to say they will vote for a candidate because of her stance on climate change. Leiserowitz and his colleagues have sorted Americans into six groups according to their views on climate change, ranging from the "Alarmed," who are most exercised about the problem, to the "Dismissive," who think it's a hoax. Latinos — Spanish speakers in particular — are far more likely to count among the "Alarmed."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwNDU2NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzc2MjczNn0.0LQ3QBYBCrUoZd0WDHGl2SID_18jXzZJoWP2JyoS-bM/img.png?width=980" id="36101" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fe77905af83f4d2c945512ee1a239dc8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2037" data-height="1671" />
<p>Leiserowitz said that, broadly speaking, Latinos are worried about climate change because they are <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/why-do-latinos-perceive-global-warming-as-a-greater-risk/" target="_blank">more likely</a> to hold an egalitarian worldview. Latinos fear climate change will worsen inequality, a concern that is often born out of personal experience. After Hurricane Maria devastated <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/when-the-government-fails-after-natural-disasters-this-is-who-picks-up-the-cost-a921e92814ff">Puerto Rico</a>, for instance, the federal government left the island to languish, allowing many survivors to slip into <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/a-year-after-maria-puerto-ricos-economy-remains-feeble/2018/09/12/a947ce78-b136-11e8-aed9-001309990777_story.html" target="_blank">poverty</a>.</p><p>While climate change remains a <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/race-and-climate-change/" target="_blank">top-tier issue</a> for Latinos, the political class has yet to act accordingly. "Alarmed" Latinos are less likely than other "Alarmed" Americans to say they have been contacted by an organization working on climate change, a shocking failure of public outreach.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwNDU2OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzg0NTQ3MH0.8MBM31Ft5BJGvWhYPN8E2jk5DGMIeJdJqQeIbgglhUI/img.png?width=980" id="b3718" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="339dc1b133cad78e4110482a765782ed" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="720" data-height="540" /><p>"That is the whole point of an advocacy organization — they recruit people," said Leiserowitz. "I think there are plenty of reasons to be engaging this community and really investing in this community."</p>
<h2>Democrats Can't Rely on Anti-Trump Sentiment to Mobilize Latinos.</h2><p>In one sense, Trump is already doing everything he can to spur Latinos to the polls, not just through his <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17443198/children-immigrant-families-separated-parents" target="_blank">gross mistreatment</a> of Latin American immigrants, but also by failing to address climate change. Hurricane Maria, a storm made <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/17/714098828/climate-change-was-the-engine-that-powered-hurricane-marias-devastating-rains" target="_blank">more severe</a> by rising temperatures, spurred many Puerto Ricans to move to the mainland, where they are able to vote in the upcoming presidential election.</p><p>But Democrats can't count on Trump to mobilize Latinos, DeFrancesco Soto said. And their outreach to Latinos must speak to more than just concerns about immigration.</p><p>"I think that there needs to be more attention paid to economic needs and structural inequities that Latinos face. Immigration needs to be a pillar of the platform of reaching out to Latinos, but not the main one," she said. "They have to feel that the system takes into account their voice."</p><p>Democrats can make their case by pushing for ambitious climate policy that also tackles economic issues, said Ramon Cruz, the current president of the Sierra Club, the first Latino to hold the position. The Green New Deal aims to curb pollution from highways, factories and power plants in communities of color and to create jobs in those same communities.</p><p>"Construction, manufacturing, agriculture — all of those could benefit greatly from the Green New Deal," Cruz said. "It is boosting the sectors of the economy that are very important for the Latino population." He added that economic stimulus will be especially critical for wooing Latinos, who have been <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/coronavirus-could-decimate-latino-wealth-which-was-hammered-great-recession-n1178861" target="_blank">hit especially hard</a> by the recession.</p><p>Cruz said the Sierra Club is working to mobilize Latinos, and that his election as the club's president is, in part, a recognition of the central role that Latinos play in the climate movement. He said the Sierra Club is publishing materials in Spanish and reaching out to groups in key states like Arizona and Florida.</p><p>"Clearly, there are a lot of people who would like to see him gone, but the challenge is how to mobilize those people," Cruz said. "We need to activate our base, and we need to ensure that the message is consistent with a clean economy."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/latino-voters-are-worried-about-climate-change-they-could-swing-the-election-da1c58d39489" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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- House Democrats Unveil Bold Climate Plan Linked to Racial Justice - EcoWatch ›
- Puerto Rico Drought Leaves 140,000 Without Running Water - EcoWatch ›
- Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces Unveil Improved Climate Policy - EcoWatch ›
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- U.S. Voters Increasingly Concerned About Climate Crisis - EcoWatch ›
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An aerial view of a large solar thermal power plant station in the Nevada desert. Mlenny / Getty Images
By Jeremy Deaton
Experts disagree about how fast the United States can replace coal and gas-fired power plants with zero-carbon electricity. Some say we can shift to 100 percent clean power by 2050 with little friction and minimal cost. Others say that's unrealistically optimistic. Scientists on both sides of the argument agree that it's possible to get to 80 or 90 percent clean power. The debate centers on that last 10 or 20 percent.
<p>Researchers tried to get around this sticking point in a <a href="https://www.2035report.com/" target="_blank">new analysis</a> from UC Berkeley. Instead of asking, "how much?" they asked "how fast?" — specifically, how fast we could get to 90 percent zero-carbon power — meaning wind, solar, hydropower and nuclear power — at no extra cost to consumers. Thanks to rapidly falling costs for wind turbines, solar panels and batteries, the answer is 2035.</p><p>"We're spending too much time stressing about the last 10 percent and not enough time thinking about the first 90 percent," said Ric O'Connell, executive director of GridLab, a clean energy consulting firm, and co-author of the report. "So let's focus on the first 90 percent."</p><p>When utilities build a new power plant, they pass the cost on to ratepayers. By 2035, ratepayers will have paid off most gas- or coal-fired power plants running today, meaning consumers won't lose money if utilities shut those plants down early. That's what researchers mean by "no extra cost." Ratepayers will be funding new, exclusively carbon-free power plants after they have paid off the old ones. Cutting pollution will help people breathe easier, reducing health care costs, making it cheaper overall to move to shift away from fossil fuels.</p>
<p>By building out wind, solar and battery storage, the authors say, we can take every coal-fired plant offline, as well as a number of gas-fired power plants. We would use the remaining gas-fired power plants to supply electricity when needed. Fossil fuels would only account for 10 percent of the power supply, while nuclear power and hydropower — which generate no carbon pollution— would account for around 20 percent. The remaining 70 percent will come from wind and solar paired with battery storage — meaning 90 percent of our electricity would come from zero-carbon sources.</p><p>The cost of renewable energy has fallen precipitously over the past decade, consistently outpacing expert projections. From 2009 to 2019, the cost of wind power fell 70 percent, while the cost of large-scale solar fell close to 90 percent, according to <a href="https://www.lazard.com/perspective/lcoe2019" target="_blank">Lazard</a>. From 2010 to 2019, the cost of batteries also dropped close to 90 percent, according to <a href="https://about.bnef.com/blog/battery-pack-prices-fall-as-market-ramps-up-with-market-average-at-156-kwh-in-2019/" target="_blank">Bloomberg New Energy Finance</a>. The falling costs of batteries is a game changer, because batteries can store power for when the sky is dark and the wind is idle.</p><p>"The pace of technology development has typically been underestimated," said Amol Phadke, an energy research scientist at UC Berkeley and lead author of the report. "In my career, all my projections have been conservative." He said that experts have grown more and more optimistic about how fast costs will drop in the years to come.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM4OTMxMi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzgyMDI0OX0.SKg1-ecirYBB2Q2lY4vhOzDGRr-RgC0j4OYCyBZ32Xc/img.png?width=980" id="75496" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="43218ba1671a8c31ebe9be246ed80086" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1400" data-height="960" />
Every year, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) projects the future cost of wind and solar energy. The graphs above show the projected cost of wind and solar in the best-case scenario. Every year since 2015 the projections have grown more optimistic. Source: UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy
<p>Authors considered the fact that Americans are embracing battery-powered cars and buses, which will put added strain on the power grid. They say that utilities can meet the rising demand at the same cost with wind and solar as they would with coal or gas.</p><p>None of this is likely to happen, however, without the help of lawmakers. The cost of fossil fuels by and large does not account for the toll they take on human health. To account for this fact, and to help overcome inertia in the energy system, experts call for several measures in an accompanying <a href="https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/90-Clean-By-2035-Policy-Memo_June-2020.pdf" target="_blank">policy paper</a>, such as a national clean power standard and tax credits for renewable energy.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM4OTMxNC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MjMyNTE3N30.KNIbWMzTTB1nUqY1ZFrc2k-oRyRot0WCwi_MyIl0moM/img.png?width=980" id="4622e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7cfc1c8f4bd17250cfd39ba52f6319a4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1888" data-height="790" />
The graphs above show the power mix in two different scenarios — one, where the lawmakers enact policies, such as a national clean power standard, to push utilities to shift to wind and solar (left), and one where utilities continue to operate as normal (right). Source: UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy
<p>The study makes use of the latest models from the <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/analysis/reeds/" target="_blank">National Renewable Energy Laboratory</a> and software developer <a href="https://energyexemplar.com/solutions/plexos/" target="_blank">Energy Exemplar</a>. It finds that moving to 90 percent zero-carbon power, a labor-intensive endeavor, could generate upwards of half a million jobs a year, which authors say could help the United States overcome the current economic slump.</p><p>The shift to clean power would also be a boon to public health at a time when the country is battling a deadly respiratory disease. The report finds that a shift to 90 percent clean power could save as many as 85,000 lives by 2050 by sparing Americans from toxic pollution. Experts unaffiliated with the study commended the report, including its focus on public health.</p><p>"Climate and environmental impacts fall disproportionately on communities of color and low-income communities," Patrick Brown, a researcher at the MIT Energy Initiative, said in an email. "It's always important to be clear about the human cost of fossil energy when it's included in such models, so I was glad to see these costs included."</p><p>Mark Jacobson, a professor of environmental engineering at Stanford University, believes the report wasn't ambitious enough, saying, "I am confident their goal can be met, but I think we can go even further." His <a href="https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/USStatesWWS.pdf" target="_blank">own research</a>, which has been the subject of vigorous debate, found it would be possible to power the country entirely with wind, solar and hydropower by mid-century.</p><p>O'Connell believes that researchers should focus on getting to 90 percent zero-carbon power rather than arguing about the feasibility of reaching 100 percent. Just as scientists 20 years ago couldn't have predicted how cheap wind and solar would be today, scientists today can't predict how much new technologies will cost 15 years from now. He listed several that could get the United States to 100 percent zero-carbon electricity, such as <a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/has-green-hydrogens-time-finally-come" target="_blank">green hydrogen</a>, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/next-gen-nuclear/" target="_blank">next-generation nuclear power</a> and <a href="https://www.popsci.com/need-high-power-home-battery-use-your-water-heater/" target="_blank">home appliances</a> that interact with the electric grid. But, he said, technology has already advanced to the point where the United States can overhaul the power grid right now.</p><p>"A lot of the focus has been on 2050," O'Connell said. "We said, 'Let's look at the near-term runway and what we can do in the next 15 years."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/the-united-states-could-achieve-90-percent-clean-power-by-2035-at-no-extra-cost-9ba47f40cd42" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em></p>
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The coronavirus adds a new wrinkle to the debate over the practice of eminent domain as companies continue to work through the pandemic, vexing landowners. Patrick J. Endres / Getty Images
By Jeremy Deaton
Pipeline giant Kinder Morgan is cutting a 400-mile line across the middle of Texas, digging up vast swaths of private land for its planned Permian Highway Pipeline. The project is ceaseless, continuing through the coronavirus pandemic. Landowner Heath Frantzen said that dozens of workers have showed up to his ranch in Fredericksburg, even as public health officials urged people to stay at home.
<p>"There weren't wearing masks. They weren't wearing gloves. They weren't practicing social distancing," he said. Frantzen believes the workers pose a danger to him and his 85-year-old father, whom he cares for. While the laborers are confined to the pipeline's path, he worries they could spread the coronavirus by touching fence railings or gates that he might later handle.</p><p>In Texas, where the governor exempted <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-issues-executive-order-implementing-essential-services-and-activities-protocols" target="_blank">pipeline projects</a> from his March <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-issues-executive-order-implementing-essential-services-and-activities-protocols" target="_blank">stay-at-home order</a>, companies like Kinder Morgan have <a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/kinder-morgan-texas-hill-country-lawsuit/" target="_blank">few checks</a> on their power of eminent domain, which allows them to build pipelines through privately owned farms and ranches that lie in their way. Eminent domain is <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/687322" target="_blank">broadly unpopular</a> and, when used for pipelines, <a href="https://www.stanfordlawreview.org/online/the-public-use-clause-in-an-age-of-u-s-natural-gas-exports/" target="_blank">legally contentious</a>. The coronavirus adds a new wrinkle to the debate over the practice as companies like Kinder Morgan continue to work through the pandemic, vexing landowners.</p><p>"It is wild that people are being forced to accept others onto their land at this time, and if they have an issue with what's happening, they have to put themselves at risk to address workers directly," said Erin Zweiner, who represents Blanco County and Hays County in the Texas House of Representatives. "These are workers who hop all over the country, so they're pretty high-risk spreaders."</p><p><span></span>Allen Fore, vice president of public affairs at Kinder Morgan, said the company has instructed workers on how to avoid spreading the coronavirus, though, he added, it is not always possible to take every precaution.</p>
<p>"Once construction is underway and you're on site, there are some limitations on masks and the distance people need to be away from each other simply for safety and construction purposes," he said, "We do leave that to the discretion of the contractor specific to the tasks that they are performing."</p><p>While eminent domain does entitle landowners in the pipeline's path to compensation, it does nothing for those living nearby who may be impacted by construction. In March, Kinder Morgan <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/blanco-water-contaminated-kinder-morgan-permian-highway-pipeline/269-b4224661-b5ab-452f-ae68-e75acf6c2ec4" target="_blank">reportedly</a> spilled drilling fluid into an underground water supply in Blanco County. Teresa Albright, who lives close to the site, <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/blanco-water-contaminated-kinder-morgan-permian-highway-pipeline/269-b4224661-b5ab-452f-ae68-e75acf6c2ec4" target="_blank">told KVUE</a> that brown fluid later poured out of her faucet, making it harder to wash her hands or clean her clothes, even as the coronavirus demanded she do both.</p><p>Fore said that Kinder Morgan has supplied water and food to affected homeowners and promised to pay for plumbing repairs. He also said that the company, which is currently facing a <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/kinder-morgan-to-be-sued-over-drinking-water-contamination/269-e77fcd0a-7761-4984-92c6-07e48d2146b2" target="_blank">lawsuit</a> over the spill, has halted work at the site of the accident and is looking for alternate routes for the pipeline.</p>Rebekah Sale, executive director of the Property Rights and Pipeline Center, emphasized that Texas isn't the only place where pipeline projects are creating headaches for landowners worried about the coronavirus.
<p>"We have people sending us pictures from these pipeline sites all over where no one's wearing a mask," she said. "People are gathered together. In some cases, they need to bring in 'man camps' of workers to build these pipelines in communities."</p><p>Marvin Winstead of Nash County, North Carolina is battling the planned Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would run through his farm. In March, Winstead learned the project's managers would be sending assessors from Maryland to estimate the value of his property.</p><p>"Not only did they want to be on my property, they wanted to send these assessors into the interior of my home," he said.</p><p>A spokesperson for Dominion Energy, which is leading the project, said the appraisal would have taken place before North Carolina issued its stay-at-home order at the end of March. After conferring with landowners' attorneys, however, it agreed to postpone its appraisals indefinitely. Winstead was nonetheless alarmed that Dominion had planned to send workers into his home during a pandemic.</p>
<p>Stacey McLaughlin of Douglas County, Oregon said the pandemic has made it more difficult to pay for a lawyer, and thus, harder to fight off Pembina, the company behind the Pacific Connector Pipeline, which would run through her property, a plot that she and her husband restored after it had been logged by the previous owners.</p><p>"I personally have lost all of my income from my work for 2020, and now we are being faced with exorbitant and extraordinary legal fees to fight for our land and against eminent domain," said McLaughlin, a consultant for local governments. "They could, at any day, pursue a court order to try to get on our property to do surveying."</p><p>Champions of the project are <a href="https://www.westernnaturalgas.org/post/openlettertogovernorbrown" target="_blank">pressuring</a> Oregon governor Kate Brown to greenlight the pipeline, claiming it would create thousands of jobs, helping to overcome the economic slump. But McLaughlin said that with the virus still raging, she does not want workers to come onto her land. With two parents in their eighties and a son who is a nurse at a nearby hospital, she is already feeling overwhelmed.</p><p>"We're losing sleep at night for a lot of reasons," she said. "Having to deal with this pipeline as we struggle to keep ourselves and our families safe is just inhumane."</p><p>Sale said that the Pacific Connector Pipeline is an especially egregious example of eminent domain. The legal justification for such projects comes from the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/717f" target="_blank">Natural Gas Act of 1938</a>, which allows for the use of eminent domain for pipelines that will serve the interests of the American public — namely to deliver gas to homes and power plants. The Pacific Connector Pipeline will primarily carry gas drilled in Canada and the Rockies to a port in Oregon so it can be shipped to Asia.</p>
<p>"Because the frantic oil and gas industry is trying to get the last dollars out of what seems, very clearly, to be a dying industry, they just run roughshod over property rights," Sale said.</p><p>Drillers have flooded the market with cheap fracked gas, driving down prices. As a result, gas has proven <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/business/energy-environment/natural-gas-shale-chevron.html" target="_blank">increasingly unprofitable</a>. Companies have <a href="https://ieefa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bankruptcies-in-Fracking-Sector-Mount-in-2019_January-2020.pdf" target="_blank">amassed debt</a>. Stock prices have <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/energy-stocks-are-black-eye-on-the-s-p-500-again-11580468400" target="_blank">slumped</a>. And the coronavirus has only <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/how-covid-19-will-reshape-global-gas" target="_blank">accelerated</a> these trends.</p><p>"It seems pretty hard to argue with a straight face that these projects are financially essential right now when we're seeing a reduction in production," Zweiner said. "I think a lot of folks are assuming that it will suddenly reverse one day, but I suspect we're looking at a much longer term issue."</p><p>When landowners do triumph over pipeline firms, it usually isn't by challenging the use of <a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2020/05/27/stories/1063242935" target="_blank">eminent domain</a>. More often, it is by persuading officials to deny needed permits. On that front, landowners may have just gotten a big helping hand. A federal judge in Montana recently <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/anthony-swift/federal-court-halts-trump-attempt-fast-track-keystone-xl" target="_blank">revoked</a> a blanket permit allowing pipeline projects to skirt environmental review. The Trump administration is appealing the ruling, which could create major hurdles for pipeline projects.</p><p>Over the long term, lawmakers may seek to narrow the use of eminent domain. In January, House Democrats released a draft climate bill that, <a href="https://www.niskanencenter.org/a-clean-future-eliminates-eminent-domain-for-interstate-natural-gas-pipelines/" target="_blank">experts say</a>, would effectively end the practice for pipeline projects. McLaughlin said landowners should be clamoring for such a measure.</p><p>"You have people across this country who are up in arms — and bearing arms — so they don't have to stay inside their houses and they don't have to wear a mask," McLaughlin said. "That's nothing compared to the violation of our constitutional rights as property owners."</p>
<p><em>This story originally appeared in</em> <em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a> </em><em>and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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The Earth's atmosphere. NASA
By Jeremy Deaton
You may have heard about the hole in the ozone layer, which hovers over Antarctica. It has shrunk over time thanks to policies that curbed the use of ozone-depleting chemicals. In the nearly 40 years that NASA has kept track, it has never been smaller. That's the good news.
<p>The bad news is that a separate hole in the ozone layer briefly <a href="https://www.livescience.com/arctic-ozone-hole-closes.html" target="_blank">opened up</a> in the Arctic in March before closing in April, and climate change may be partly to blame.</p><p>This isn't the first <a href="https://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/NH.html" target="_blank">such rift</a> to develop in the Arctic, but it is the largest. Scientists say that in March, a stratospheric polar vortex — a band of strong, frigid winds circling the pole — corralled chlorine and bromine that chewed away at the ozone layer. Scientists said that <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2006GL026731" target="_blank">climate</a> <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2003GL018844" target="_blank">change</a> may have set the stage for a colder, and thus more powerful, polar vortex.</p><p>"In those years when a vortex can spin and set itself up and be undisturbed, it's getting colder and colder," said Ross Salawitch, a climate scientist at the University of Maryland. Cold air strengthens polar vortexes, allowing them to deal more damage to the ozone layer, he said.</p>
<p>This year's Arctic polar vortex was unusually strong and long-lived, helping to deplete the ozone layer. At the same time, currents that would normally deliver ozone from surrounding areas were stagnant. The bruising was far less severe than what is typically seen over the South Pole, though. At the South Pole, stratospheric polar vortexes are reliably strong thanks to the extreme cold, so the ozone layer regularly thins.</p><p>In a stratospheric polar vortex, high-altitude <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_stratospheric_cloud" target="_blank">clouds form</a> from trace gasses in the atmosphere. Pollutants containing chlorine and bromine are essentially benign until they run into one of these clouds. Then they transform into chemicals capable of terrorizing the ozone layer.</p><p>They still need sunlight to do their dirty work, however. That comes at the start of spring —around September in the Southern Hemisphere and around March in the Northern Hemisphere. As the days get longer, these chemicals react with sunlight to deplete stratospheric ozone.</p><p>Because Antarctica is so isolated from the rest of the world, a strong polar vortex can form undisturbed. That's not the case in the Arctic, where the mix of land and water surrounding the North Pole produces more dynamic weather that can weaken or disrupt a polar vortex.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzMwNjMxNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTQwNDE1N30.gWej2PmnNRQE8RsCuiF3UvmowoEgPqZXsKE4i8ZLvNo/img.jpg?width=980" id="8a1e9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="883655d17c29fcbc095e4aedcd0198a1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1041" data-height="781" />
Polar stratospheric clouds activate the chemicals that deplete the ozone layer. NASA
<p>Ozone holes rarely form at the North Pole — the last one appeared in 2011 — and they are typically short-lived. But what happens in the Arctic does not stay in Arctic. As a result of the damage, the ozone layer is now a little thinner everywhere else. While it will repair itself over time, the recent polar vortex has likely slowed the recovery.</p><p>At the South Pole, the ozone layer tears open yearly. Scientists first discovered the Antarctic ozone hole in 1985. Researchers determined that it was caused by chemicals containing chlorine and bromine. These include <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/chlorofluorocarbon" target="_blank">chlorofluorocarbons</a>, which are found in air conditioners, refrigerators and spray cans, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/halon" target="_blank">halons</a>, which are found in fire extinguishers, and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ods-phaseout/methyl-bromide" target="_blank">methyl bromide</a>, which is used to kill weeds, insects and other pests. The discovery was met with alarm, as the ozone layer filters out dangerous ultraviolet radiation, helping to sustain life on Earth.</p><p>"If there was no ozone layer, the ultraviolet radiation would sterilize the Earth's surface," said Paul Newman, chief scientist for earth sciences at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "Crop yields go down as ultraviolet exposure goes up." In humans, ultraviolet radiation can cause skin cancer and cataracts, and can weaken the immune system.</p><p>To restore the ozone layer, in 1987, countries adopted the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Montreal-Protocol" target="_blank">Montreal Protocol</a> to stem the use of ozone-depleting chemicals. It worked. Over time, the hole grew smaller and smaller, and the ozone layer began to heal. By the middle of this century, scientists expect it will be fully restored.</p>
<p>While many Americans <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/15/is-the-ozone-hole-causing-climate-change/" target="_blank">mistakenly</a> <a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2010_10_Americans%E2%80%99-Knowledge-of-Climate-Change.pdf" target="_blank">believe</a> that the hole in the ozone layer is driving climate change, it may be that the reverse is true — that climate change is harming the ozone layer.</p><p>Carbon pollution is acting like a blanket, trapping heat in the lower atmosphere. As a result, it is both warming the surface of the Earth and preventing heat from reaching the upper atmosphere. As such, the lower atmosphere is warming, while the upper atmosphere is actually cooling. Polar vortexes grow stronger in the cold, producing more of the high-altitude clouds that activate the chemicals that eat up the ozone layer.</p><p>"The temperatures in the stratosphere will probably be decreasing somewhat, and so that may slow down the recovery of the ozone layer," Manney said. "We have this situation in the Arctic, where we have had a couple of winters in the last couple of decades that have been much colder than usual."</p><p>Newman believes that falling temperatures will do little to deplete the ozone layer, however. He is more concerned with how climate change will alter currents that replenish Arctic ozone or break up the Arctic polar vortex.</p>
<p>"We don't really see a strong cooling of the Arctic stratosphere," he said. "The question in my mind is rather, 'What is the impact of climate change on these large-scale weather systems?'"</p><p>Salawitch said that it is difficult to determine what, exactly, the future holds for the ozone layer in the Arctic. Models disagree as to how much or how fast temperatures will change at the North Pole, or what that means for the polar vortex. As such, some say Arctic ozone will continue to thin, while others project a speedy recovery.</p><p>Scientists emphasized that the recent ozone hole in the Arctic would have been substantially worse had countries not taken steps to curb pollution. They said the episode speaks to the importance of the Montreal Protocol.</p><p>"We do have to keep in mind that the Montreal Protocol was very successful in getting the world to stop emitting these chlorofluorocarbons. The ozone layer is starting to recover," Manney said. "It's a remarkable success story."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/another-hole-in-the-ozone-layer-climate-change-may-be-to-blame-f86825b19135" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A power plant emits pollution next to a train in Chicago, Illinois. Arcaid / Universal Images Group / Getty Images
By Jeremy Deaton
The coronavirus is a case study in the limits of federalism. Where the federal government has declined to gather and distribute masks, gloves and ventilators, states and cities have been forced to compete for medical supplies, paying exorbitant prices to secure needed equipment. Where the federal government has been slow to ramp up testing, states and cities are struggling to conduct tests at the scale required to reopen business.
<p>It is against this backdrop that 23 cities and counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities added their voice to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/climate/states-lawsuit-clean-power-ace.html" target="_blank">lawsuit</a> challenging the Trump administration's plan to weaken limits on carbon pollution from power plants. The document detailed how cities will struggle to cut carbon pollution without help from Washington.</p><p>"Cities can do a lot, but there are many ways in which the success of cities' climate plans hinge on concerted federal action," said Michael Burger, executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, which worked with local leaders on a brief in support of the lawsuit. "I think that the fact that we were able to get this many cities to take the time necessary to give a final review to the brief, provide comments and get the final sign-off, indicates how important this issue really is."</p>
<p>Burger said the project had taken on special significance as of late, given that people living in more polluted areas are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/climate/air-pollution-coronavirus-covid.html" target="_blank">more likely to die</a> of the coronavirus. Notably, it is communities of color that are most likely to be under siege from both <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/pollution-is-rotting-your-brain-d9f282722333">air pollution</a> and the <a href="https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/04/07/people-of-color-coronavirus-deaths" target="_blank">coronavirus</a>, as well as worsening <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/hurricane-harvey-hit-low-income-communities-hardest-6966d859e61f">floods</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/this-map-shows-which-communities-need-the-most-help-in-a-disaster-a424c1942015">storms</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/racist-housing-practices-have-left-communities-of-color-at-greater-risk-of-extreme-heat-801ead143422">heat waves</a>.</p><p>Civic leaders have limited means to cope with these inequities — a mayor can't shut down a power plant that lies outside her jurisdiction, even if that power plant is sending pollution wafting over her city.</p>
<p>"The EPA's irresponsible weakening of its rules to allow power plants to pollute more will increase air pollution, asthma rates, and the overall burden on public health services for cities like Las Cruces," said Mayor Ken Miyagishima of Las Cruces, New Mexico, which signed onto the amicus brief. "At all levels of government, we need to be more vigilant about managing and reducing risks, whether it's a pandemic or climate change."</p><p>In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency had the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/washington/03scotus.html" target="_blank">authority</a> to regulate heat-trapping gases. The agency later determined that it also had the <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/02/what-is-the-epa-endangerment-finding/" target="_blank">obligation</a> to do so. To fulfill that duty, the EPA under President Obama crafted the Clean Power Plan, a sweeping policy to limit carbon pollution from power plants.</p>
<p>President Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change a hoax, <a href="https://apnews.com/94c981eb440f43c3bbbfff84063a9ecc/Environmental-groups-denounce-Trump-override-of-climate-plan" target="_blank">promised</a> to do away with the Clean Power Plan in his <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/even-republicans-oppose-trumps-energy-plan-f5887dd9edf1">2016 campaign</a>. He has since fulfilled that promise by replacing the policy with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which does far less to limit pollution from power plants. Now, 22 states and the District of Columbia are suing the EPA for falling short of its legal duty to regulate carbon pollution.</p><p>While carbon dioxide poses little short-term threat to human health, it comes from the same power plants that produce mercury, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/coal-and-air-pollution" target="_blank">linked</a> to lung disease, heart disease, asthma and other maladies. Over the long term, carbon pollution is fueling deadly weather disasters like Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina. By the EPA's own estimate, the Clean Power Plan promised to save as many as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/11/01/trumps-epa-says-obamas-climate-rule-could-prevent-up-to-4500-deaths-annually-moves-to-scrap-it/" target="_blank">4,500 lives</a> a year by 2030. Its replacement would only save <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-06/documents/ace_ria_fact_sheet_6.18.19_final.pdf" target="_blank">around 120</a> at the high end. That grim calculus has mayors, governors and business leaders eager to strengthen federal limits on carbon pollution.</p><p>"We don't get to net zero in the United States without some kind of coordinated, comprehensive action by the federal government," Burger said. "Whether it's a public health crisis at this scale or the climate crisis, failures at the federal level lead inevitably to failures at the local level."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/cities-besieged-by-pollution-amid-a-pandemic-implore-the-courts-for-help-f3392d752069" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Trump's EPA Pick Hides Pro-Polluter Record Behind Process ... ›
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- Trump Admin Goes After States for Protecting the Environment ... ›
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By Jeremy Deaton, video by Bart Vandever
The 2010 BP oil spill dumped more than 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, where it killed billions of fish. Had things gone as planned, that oil would have fueled cars and trucks, worsening climate change, which is going to kill billions of fish — and that was the best-case scenario. In short, oil is bad for sea life.
<p>Except sometimes it's not.</p><p>That's because the legs and bracings holding up oil platforms are the ideal setting for ocean reefs. Fish like to gather around the pylons, which are covered in mussels, barnacles and corals. Emily Hazelwood, who worked as a field technician after the BP oil spill, recalled learning about the reefs firsthand.</p>
<p>"BP had hired all the fishermen who lost their jobs to drive our boats," she said. "Every time we would go out with them, and we would pass one of the many oil platforms, they would say they couldn't wait to go out there fishing."</p><p>Experts say offshore oil will <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-12/offshore-oil-to-peak-in-2020-then-join-shale-in-market-slowdown" target="_blank">peak this year</a> as prices fall, a trend <a href="https://fortune.com/2020/03/20/oil-slide-price-shock-demand-hit-opec-coronavirus/" target="_blank">exacerbated</a> by the coronavirus and the ongoing price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The slump is expected to send a growing number of rigs offline.</p>
<p>There is a real question as to what to do with the shuttered rigs, which can provide a safe home to ocean life. Oil platforms typically lie far from shore, so they are protected from the water pollution that empties into the ocean, Hazelwood said. They are safe from commercial fishing trawlers that gather up schools of fish out at sea.</p><p>"Stretching from sea floor to sea surface, these platforms can be as large as the Empire State Building, which provides a lot of real estate for marine life," Hazelwood said. "That richness of life on an oil platform is just so cool. I have never seen a group of fish like that before."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE2NzQ0OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MDM3MDU4OX0.A4lG98rr5yKhTW1XzGjUaoi3Qfg5bp1KCjinDU8nSog/img.png?width=980" id="3a84b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4bf306b9d793fcd992629b7f1234a94b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1400" data-height="875" />
A diver explores sea life on the Eureka oil rig off the coast of Long Beach, California. Blue Latitudes
<p>Hazelwood and her business partner Amber Sparks, co-founded consulting firm <a href="http://www.rig2reefexploration.org/team" target="_blank">Blue Latitudes</a>. Together, they work with oil companies to preserve the reefs that form on decommissioned oil platforms, lopping off the top while letting the rest of the structure stay in place. This process can save oil firms millions by sparing them the cost of tearing down an old rig.</p><p>Naturally, not everyone is wild about leaving the skeletons of oil platforms to rust in the ocean. In 2010, California <a href="https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/RC-Rigs-to-Reef-Law-Fall2010.pdf" target="_blank">passed a controversial law</a> that would allow oil firms to convert old rigs into artificial reefs. Critics say it lets companies off the hook for cleanup by making the state liable for the remains of decommissioned oil platforms.</p><p>"The oil companies walk away. The state has to deal with this structure in the ocean forever, dealing with any safety issues, any pollution issues, any maintenance issues," said Linda Krop, chief counsel with the Environmental Defense Center in Santa Barbara, California.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE2NzQ1MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDk2MTI4OX0.y95xLPMCwuFHErNRHtYGb503D5NSdsSLSAa2l3DRLfA/img.png?width=980" id="05592" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2ac4982120d288e03ade22aa5f50d8d0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1400" data-height="876" />
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/the-dazzling-ocean-reefs-hidden-beneath-oil-rigs-video-67cbd80a54cc" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em><em></em></p>Divers explore sea life on the Eureka oil rig off the coast of Long Beach, California. Blue Latitudes
<p>She said it's also unclear if the rigs-to-reef program has much value for sea creatures. If old oil platforms become hot spots for recreational fishing, that could leave reefs mostly barren of marine life.</p><p>"We don't know what benefit will arise from leaving a platform at sea. We want that studied. That's what the current law requires. But the proponents are trying to weaken that part of the law," she said.</p><p>Hazelwood and Sparks, for instance, have called for streamlining the rigs-to-reef program to make it easier for oil companies to convert old platforms into ocean habitats. They say that tearing down viable reefs just doesn't make sense.</p><p>"Most environmental groups, they want to go back to the way the world was 10,000 years ago. And who wouldn't? I mean, that would just be an unbelievable planet to live on," Hazelwood said. "But that's not necessarily the reality of our situation right now, so we advocate for finding that silver lining."</p>From Your Site Articles
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By Lauren Wolahan
For the first time ever, the UN is building out a roadmap for curbing carbon pollution from agriculture. To take part in that process, a coalition of U.S. farmers traveled to the UN climate conference in Madrid, Spain this month to make the case for the role that large-scale farming operations, long criticized for their outsized emissions, can play in addressing climate change.
<p>Often, conversations about agriculture feature calls for more small-scale, organic farming, the abolition of animal agriculture, and a shift away from farming row crops like corn and soy. The farmers at the meeting in Madrid, many of them political conservatives, aimed to challenge this view.</p><p>A.G. Kawamura, a third-generation fruit and vegetable grower and California's former secretary of food and agriculture, responds to critics by asking, "Well, did you eat today?"</p>
<p>The debate about the environmental impact of agriculture harkens back to the 1950s, which gave rise to synthetic pesticides and fertilizer, genetically modified crops, and advanced machinery. These tools allowed farmers to produce more food than ever before, but they also did considerable damage.</p><p>The widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers killed insects and birds, as well as fish who lived downstream of farms. The focus on cash crops led many farmers to plant the same crop year after year, sapping the soil of needed nutrients. And the embrace of high-powered farming tools turned once-rich topsoil into lifeless dust.</p><p>In light of these facts, many in the environmental community have called for a radical overhaul of the agricultural system. Longtime farmers of row crops like corn and soy are pushing back. They say that, through <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/an-opportunity-for-farmers-in-a-green-new-deal-f48f37fd6d3c">smart farming practices</a>, they can actually help curb pollution.</p><p>Many farmers, for instance, are using <a target="_blank" href="https://nexusmedianews.com/artificial-intelligence-is-changing-the-way-we-farm-15981f95e1e8">advanced technologies</a> that help them to cut down on pollution by allowing them to apply chemicals only where they're needed. But these technologies are only cost-effective on larger farms.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjE2NTAzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODk5NjUzN30.eYXKQPAA2ve4aZHlw3MOO2UxAjXLHkCcelxw7udw0G4/img.jpg?width=980" id="2f478" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ca48b649ee39247443516d5df03d5180" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
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<p>Growers said they can mitigate the impact of large-scale farming by embracing practices such as no-till farming, which uses machines that don't tear up the earth, and so doesn't release the carbon stored in the soil. They have also called for planting cover crops — like oats, radishes and cereal rye — in between rows of corn or hay to cover any bare earth, keeping carbon trapped in the ground.</p><p>In addition to stemming pollution, these practices also help the soil hold more moisture, meaning it can absorb extra water during a heavy rainstorm, keeping farms healthy. In an industry increasingly threatened by extreme weather, this is good business, said Fred Yoder, an Ohio farmer and former head of the National Corn Growers Association. He said he thinks of his soil as a 401k, a long-term investment that will help him weather future difficulties.</p><p>Yoder and other growers want the UN to encourage member countries to incentivize climate-friendly farming practices. Cover crops, for example, are currently used on just <a href="https://www.thegazette.com/IowaIdeas/stories/agriculture/cover-crops-in-iowa-illinois-indiana-profitability-20190503" target="_blank">4 percent</a> of Iowa farmland. Widespread adoption of cover crops could be key to curbing farming-related emissions.</p><p>Critics, however, say that even with smarter practices, large-scale farms will continue to be a significant source of pollution.</p><p>"Farming is more than just a collection of practices. It is a system within the local ecology," said Ben Lilliston of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. He said that carbon-smart farming can help curb pollution, but he believes that, ultimately, growers need to build farms that are more integrated with nature.</p><p>Many growers in Madrid, however, contended that large-scale farms could operate in harmony with nature, and they were eager to defend their environmental bona fides.</p><p>"The American farmer is the original environmentalist," said Ray Gaesser in a panel on agriculture and climate change. Gaesser has been farming soybeans in Iowa for 50 years and previously chaired the American Soybean Association. "Yes, I happen to be conservative," he added, "but that doesn't mean I am not seeing the impacts of our changing planet first hand."</p><p>Gaesser recalled a time 20 years ago when he watched, astonished, as four inches of rain fell on his farm in less than an hour. The deluge washed away much of his topsoil. Since then, he's seen such rainstorms like that one strike at least once a year.</p><p>Another way that farmers can combat climate change, panelists said, is by embracing renewable energy. In corn-rich Iowa, for instance, the landscape is dotted with wind turbines and barns with solar panels on their roofs. The revenue from clean energy on farmland helps insulate growers against increasingly volatile commodity prices as well as the severe weather that could stunt yields.</p><p>"Farmers are used to working with big equipment, and they don't tolerate equipment that doesn't work, and just like everyone else, they love making money. Solar works, and it makes them money," Tim Dwight, President of the Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association, said on the panel. "What's not to love?"</p><p>Dwight said that wind and solar have grown in Iowa with the support of the agricultural community, which looms large in the Hawkeye State. His colleagues underscored this point in their argument at the climate talks.</p><p>"Farmers have a tremendous opportunity to be part of the climate solution," said Ernie Shea, president of Solutions from the Land, a non-profit advocating for better farming practices to address climate change. "That's why so many of us are here."</p>
<p> <em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/at-un-climate-conference-u-s-growers-defend-large-scale-farming-5ef0944bfd5" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Miners at a riverbank site in the Amazon. Maria Rodriguez
By Marlene Cimons
Last summer, scientist Maria Rodriguez traveled to the Peruvian region of Madre de Dios, once the home of lush rainforests, meandering rivers and thriving wildlife. But her destination was anything but picturesque. She'd come to study several sites ravaged by illegal gold mining that had left a legacy of destruction and mercury poisoning. One area, in fact, resembled a lunar landscape, rather than a rainforest.
<p>"No more trees, very dry, full of sand and rocks," she said. "We couldn't believe what our eyes were seeing. How did this happen?"</p><p>It happened because small-scale artisanal gold miners had been defying the law by working there, using toxic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_%28element%29" target="_blank">mercury</a> to separate gold from the soil and river sediments. They extract the sediments from the river, pile them on the riverbanks, and then add mercury. Finally, they burn the mix, isolating the gold and releasing most of the mercury into the air. The remaining mercury stays in the soil, or ends up in the water, threatening wildlife, plants — and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_poisoning" target="_blank">people</a>.</p><p>At one point, Rodriguez and her colleagues traveled 45 minutes through the fog by riverboat, spotting small boats at the river banks, dredges that remove the sediments from the river.</p><p>"Miners were working under these black plastic roofs and some of them inside the river or at the riverbanks," she recalled. "We even saw families with children. This was very frustrating because we knew they were polluting this beautiful environment, and also contaminating themselves. The mercury can affect the nervous system after exposure, especially in children."</p><p><br/></p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA3MTkwMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMjg5MjMxMH0.WuSbxjz3sOEjYyK6qf9_xGFvtxMNyUpzxKp9xgzYIxY/img.jpg?width=980" id="9b3b7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ecb8378e832b40fac015faf81458aa57" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
A mining site in the Amazon.
Maria Rodriguez
<p>Rodriguez, a University of Maryland environmental engineering doctoral candidate in the <a href="https://eng.umd.edu/" target="_blank">A. James Clark School of Engineering</a>, went to Peru with faculty mentors <a href="https://cee.umd.edu/clark/faculty/240/Natasha-Andrade" target="_blank">Natasha Andrade</a> and <a href="https://user.eng.umd.edu/~alba/TorrentsLab/Alba_Torrents.html" target="_blank">Alba Torrents</a> to assess the mercury damage there. The field trip was the start of a long-term project sponsored by the school and by <a href="http://cincia.wfu.edu/en/who-we-are/" target="_blank">CINCIA</a>, the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation, which is working on the ground in Peru to reforest degraded areas in Peru. Rodriguez hopes the partnership will help restore the Peruvian region which, she says, already has lost nearly 250,000 acres to artisanal gold-mining in the last two decades.</p><p>While most recent attention has focused on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Amazon_rainforest_wildfires" target="_blank">wildfires</a> that have been raging in the Amazon rainforest, which soak up carbon pollution and are often described as the "lungs" of our planet, other serious threats exist in the region, illegal gold mining and its use of mercury chief among them.</p><p>In Peru, the illegal mining is performed by individuals and small companies, many of the workers poor people from Andean regions, Rodriguez said. "But their activity is controlled by criminal organizations," she said. "The artisanal activity has been performed in the Peruvian Amazon from the 1980's but has <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-devastating-costs-of-the-amazon-gold-rush-19365506/" target="_blank">increased</a> in recent decades due to the high price of gold in the international markets."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA3MTkwMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDM3MTMwMn0.96wtL8qjwKKnLpyF4pb3QuH2MrWIcdjOEQx0BxbBUWU/img.jpg?width=980" id="f93bb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9566d87c886c9bc8ee2622a6c25e199c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
A former mining site in the Amazon rainforest.
Natasha Andrade
<p>Because mercury is destroying soils and foliage in the area, the scientists' goal is to rejuvenate the forest by planting new species of vegetation that can withstand exposure to the poisonous element. Rodriguez hopes to determine the toxic threshold of mercury for the new-growth plants, species that include achiote, cocona and yucca, so that they can be planted safely and not pose a danger to people who later consume them.</p><p>Through tests and analyses, the researchers hope to figure out whether the new plants will grow in the contaminated soil, and how much soil needs to be cleared to eliminate the hazard. The findings also will help them predict whether new trees will grow there.</p><p>Latin America illegally extracts the world's highest percentage of gold, according to the <a href="https://globalinitiative.net/organized-crime-and-illegally-mined-gold-in-latin-america/" target="_blank">Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime</a>, with Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru topping the list.</p><p>"All the Amazonian countries in South America are suffering the impacts," she said. "This is gold mining conducted by individual miners or small enterprises with limited capital investment and production. They don't use safety protection or procedures to prevent environmental pollution." A 2018 <a href="https://saqueada.amazoniasocioambiental.org/story" target="_blank">report</a> cited more than 2,000 Amazon locations with unregulated mining, she said.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA3MTkwMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTI2NDUyMX0.rXRkGpyzudpUZz-horl9ZI2sYZyzaqbbD7nqhyiH1iI/img.jpg?width=980" id="53345" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bd306db3b8731157d311c26b858ab8a5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Dredge in Madre de Dios river.
Natasha Andrade
<p>The definition of "illegal" differs by country, she added. "For example, in Peru, mining in national parks and their surrounding area is forbidden," she said. "It's also forbidden in rivers. In Brazil, artisanal mining in rivers is allowed. Some miners perform the activity in non-forbidden areas, with a permit from the government, but they use procedures that increase deforestation and contaminate soil, air and water with mercury."</p><p>The Peruvian government has tried fighting it with its military, the most recent operation in February, she said. "They expelled the miners from the mining sites in the national parks and installed military bases there," she explained. "But the maintenance of these bases is expensive. In similar operations in the past years, once the military left, the miners went back to the sites."</p><p>Moreover, ending these activities is made more difficult because gold is bought and sold by a network of middlemen who provide false receipts, allowing export companies to buy the gold, which is refined abroad, she added.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA3MTkwNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzcxOTE5M30.GOQAm6Qm0mjNLfyi2mvAEPDNDM8qZbp5DAQtUc-tGZQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="d2e24" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8c1950b9509a3137794ef30a494aa324" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p class=""> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/where-humans-search-for-pay-dirt-nature-pays-the-price-2fcbe79749a7" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em><em></em></p>A former mining site in an indigenous territory in the Amazon.
Natasha Andrade
<p>The <a href="https://www.gold.org/" target="_blank">World Gold Council</a>, the global trade organization for the pure gold mining industry, won't comment on illegal mining. "However, we do work closely with our mining members on [environmental, social and governance] initiatives," said Iya Davidson, a spokeswoman for the organization. The organization recently released <a href="https://www.gold.org/about-gold/gold-supply/responsible-gold/responsible-gold-mining-principles" target="_blank">Responsible Gold Mining Principles</a>, a framework for consumers, investors and the supply chain, which, among other things, urges "respect for the environment."</p><p>Miles Silman, a Wake Forest University biologist and CINCIA's associate director of science, stressed the importance of good governance. "The profit from mining can be very large, so if a society decides to do it, they should make sure it is governed in a way where the benefits of the activity are worth the environmental destruction," he said.</p><p>Rodriguez pointed out that the public likely knows little about controversial gold mining practices. "I think consumers are not aware of this problem because they are not even aware that they are consuming gold," Rodriguez said. "Gold is not only use for jewelry or gold bars, but also for electronic devices, like cellphones. I'm sure that campaigns like the ones about blood diamonds could help to reduce the extent of illegal gold mining."</p><p>While in Peru, Rodriguez visited the indigenous communities of San Jacinte and Kotsimba — home to the Shipibo and Harakbut people, respectively — where mining had left dead soil behind where nothing can grow. "The indigenous don't want the miners to work in their territory but can't do anything about it," she said. "This is a common issue in this region."</p><p>Many of the indigenous people asked about the possibility of soil treatments and other efforts that could help regenerate the forest, hoping to encourage ecotourism, she said.</p><p>"They wondered whether anyone will come to visit this ugly landscape," she said. "They want their forest back. We felt very sad knowing that the forest will take hundreds of years to recover."</p>
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