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Environmental Racism Is Bad for Your Brain (VIDEO)
There are a lot of explanations for the apparent gap in IQ test scores of white Americans and Americans of color. Some experts point to things like bias in the exam itself, or the fact that white students tend to go to better-funded schools. Others tout racist myths. Take famed biologist James Watson, who said thatREAD MORE
Trump’s Big Coal Backers Paid for a New Tax to Prop up Outdated Energy in Ohio
Thanks to a new law, Ohioans will soon start seeing an extra tax on their electric bills. The monthly price hike will range from 85 cents for private consumers up to around $2,500 for large businesses — not an outrageous increase, in the grand scheme of things, if the funds were being used to cut pollution, for instance.READ MORE
As the Coal Industry Falls Apart, Miners Face Losing Their Pensions
In June, the Trump administration unveiled one of its largest environmental rollbacks to date: replacing the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan rule, which regulated carbon pollution from power plants. The rule had been a favorite target of President Trump as he stumped on the campaign trail and held presidential rallies. “We’ve ended the war on beautiful,READ MORE
The Radical Philosophy of Extinction Rebellion
New York police recently arrested 66 protestors who rallied outside The New York Times building to compel the newspaper to make climate change a front-page issue. The demonstrators belonged to Extinction Rebellion, a movement born in the United Kingdom that is committed to nonviolent resistance. In addition to protesting outside of The New York Times, U.S.READ MORE
Electric Flight is the Future of Air Travel
This fall, teen Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will be touring the United States, attending two different climate summits in New York and Brazil to speak with world leaders. But the hardest part of the trip may not be wrangling foreign dignitaries, motivating crowds, or making high-profile TV appearances. Thunberg has sworn off flying, making herREAD MORE
GE’s Investment Mistake Could Cost Billions
Last week, General Electric announced it would close a California gas plant 20 years ahead of schedule. The Inland Empire Energy Center in California, the company said, was “uneconomical to support further” in part because of outdated technology. But California’s aggressive clean energy goals and commitment to using renewable energy was also a key determinant in GE’sREAD MORE
Fossil Fuel Protesters Push a Coal Plant to Become a Solar-Powered Data Center
Lisa Marshall isn’t your typical activist. For one thing, she’s not into crowds and didn't originally see herself among the legion of fossil fuel protesters. “I don’t really like rallies,” Marshall, a mom of three from upstate New York, said. “They’re a little stressful — not my favorite thing.” Marshall, who has two degrees in earth science, remembersREAD MORE
How to Make More Electric Cars Without More Destructive Mining
Climate warriors like to imagine a future where electric cars put oil companies out of business. Firms would stop injecting known carcinogens into the ground to break up the layer of hard, shale rock hiding stores of fuel, and they would no longer plumb the ocean depths for oil, letting sticky black goo leak into theREAD MORE
The Legacy of East Chicago’s Lead Crisis and Environmental Justice
Akeeshea Daniels once lived in the West Calumet public housing complex in the shadow of a former lead smelter in East Chicago, Indiana. She worried about the pervasive lead pollution in the area and hoped that the government would fix the problem. Officials tried — and are still trying — to clean up the mess, but in many ways theirREAD MORE
The Climate Rebellion Inside Amazon
When Kathryn Dellinger moved to the Pacific Northwest five years ago to take a position at Amazon, she fretted over friends and relatives back home in Virginia as successive hurricanes tore apart coastal towns on the East Coast. But when wildfires ripped through Washington state last summer, filling the Seattle area with smoke, Dellinger had someoneREAD MORE
Plastics Are Sealing The Planet’s Fate
It’s impossible to imagine modern life without plastics. From the moment the day begins, we are using plastic. It’s in our toothbrushes, our shower curtains and our phones. We use it on on the way to work in bus seats, car dashboards and bicycle helmets. We see it at lunch in takeout containers and disposable utensils.READ MORE
Trump Failed Puerto Rico. These People Picked up the Cost.
Every morning, Luz Hernandez goes to work at her hair salon on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a neighborhood fixture without a website or a Facebook page, where a trim costs $40 and customers can get a cup of coffee while they wait. Every night, she returns to a full fridge in an air-conditioned homeREAD MORE
Students Are Terrified of Climate Change. Some School Boards Say It’s Too Political to Talk About.
Burning book pages aren’t supposed to rain from the sky. But for students growing up in the age of climate change, it’s now a familiar sight. “Sonoma County kids know that when there’s a big wildfire, there are pieces of paper that fall out of the sky,” said Park Guthrie, who teaches sixth grade at aREAD MORE
The Simple, yet Elusive, Key to Fighting the Climate Crisis
A new scientific report finds human behaviors are driving the extinction of non-human species at a rate so severe that the subsequent disappearance of life will soon be a threat to human health and prosperity. Habitat destruction on land, over-fishing in the seas and overconsumption across much of the globe, among other things, now threaten toREAD MORE
Big Automakers Grudgingly Buy Into EVs. Oil Majors Still Lag Behind.
In just three years, many electric cars will sport the same sticker price as their gas-powered counterparts, according to a recent analysis. Electrification, as well as other advances like ride-sharing and driverless cars, will radically overhaul the transportation sector. The next decade will see sweeping changes to the way we get around, and everyone is copingREAD MORE
Helping Flint Cope With Lead Pollution
The poisoning of Flint is a tragedy without end. Five years after learning their water supply was laced with lead, the residents of this Michigan town 66 miles northwest of Detroit still are reeling. And they may be doing so for a long time. “We were and remain in deep trauma… grasping for hope,” said BobREAD MORE
Kids Give ‘Em Hell About High Water
Lorenzo de Simone, 13, isn’t old enough to vote, but he’s old enough to lobby Massachusetts state lawmakers, seeking their support for a carbon pricing bill that would impose fees on fossil fuel companies. The Boston 8th grader plans to show up at the state capital in Boston on Tuesday. “My house could be underwater inREAD MORE
Climate Change Is Costing the Air Force Billions
Greg Brudnicki, mayor of Panama City, Florida, has lived in the community for 55 years and said he has never seen a storm like Hurricane Michael. The cyclone barreled through the Florida panhandle in October, flattening beach neighborhoods and piling 20 years’ worth of debris on Panama City alone. Tyndall Air Force Base, located 12 milesREAD MORE
These Lawyers are Creating an ALEC for Climate Change
For the last forty-odd years, the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, has been a mainstay of the conservative movement and major force in shaping state laws. The organization brings together state lawmakers and corporate leaders to draft business-friendly policies that are then ferried to statehouses around the country. ALEC is a primary reason why Iowa,READ MORE
Thirty Years After Exxon Valdez, Fossil Fuel Dangers Remain
Shortly after midnight on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez — an oil tanker carrying 53 million gallons of North Slope crude oil — hit a reef in the Gulf of Alaska, ripping half a dozen holes in the hull of the ship. More than 11 million gallons of crude oil leaked into the pristine waters and vibrant ecosystem ofREAD MORE
How ‘Tropical Trump’ is Harnessing Racism to Destroy the Amazon
If you’ve never heard of Ricardo Salles, it’s helpful to think of him as another version of Scott Pruitt. There’s a lot that the Brazilian environmental minister has in common with the former EPA administrator, who rolled back countless environmental protections while meeting with fossil fuel industry insiders. Like Pruitt, Salles seems poised to serve industryREAD MORE
The Power of Beauty
Alexis Frasz believes we use art to create meaning, and to define what we think is possible — or impossible. This is one of the reasons she’s exploring its role in addressing climate change. Frasz, a writer and researcher, wants to build public support for tackling environmental challenges using art. She thinks that art can help people copeREAD MORE
Girl Scouts Honor Climate Change
Margaret Goodman, a retired foreign affairs expert who is now in her 70s, has never forgotten the positive impact the Girl Scouts had on her life. “I loved it because I love the outdoors,” she said. “We hiked, and camped and canoed whenever we could. We were a bunch of kids who never got tired ofREAD MORE
An Opportunity for Farmers In a Green New Deal
This month, a group of Democratic lawmakers called for an ambitious plan for the United States to reach net-zero carbon pollution. While experts debate whether the proposal is technologically or politically feasible, the so-called Green New Deal is about more than shifting to cleaner, more advanced forms of energy sources. It’s also about shifting to moreREAD MORE
For Detroit Students, Water Fountains Are Health Hazards
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has created an office for clean water, housed within the newly formed Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, to investigate complaints about water quality. “Right now, communities across our state don’t trust the water coming out of their taps, and there is a real lack of trust in state government,” WhitmerREAD MORE
Climate Change May Be Fueling Cold Winter Spells in the Northeast
Early this week, record cold blasted the Northeast, as Boston, Massachusetts saw a high of 10 degrees F, and nearby Worcester saw the temperature top out at just 1 degree F. Meteorologists say this is just the beginning of a lengthy stretch of freezing weather. Paradoxically, frosty winter temperatures in some areas have been linked toREAD MORE
Car Companies Aren’t Even Trying to Sell Electric Cars (VIDEO)
This article is part of a series about barriers to the widespread adoption of electric cars. Head to a Ford dealership and ask about an F-150. You will be shown its features, invited on a test drive, and treated to a carefully practiced sales pitch detailing the truck’s strength, power and durability. Ask about an electricREAD MORE
Unable to Challenge Climate Science, Trump’s EPA Targets Climate Law
In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that carbon dioxide emissions threaten public health, the EPA would be required to regulate them. In 2009, the EPA completed its assessment, determining that, yes, carbon pollution endangers public health by changing the climate. This conclusion is known as the endangerment finding,READ MORE
Meeting Paris Agreement Targets Would Create 24 Million Jobs Globally
This month, when diplomats met in Poland to negotiate the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the United States took on the role of the villain. The United States, which plans to formally withdraw from the pact, rejected a landmark scientific report and touted the need for fossil fuels. Why? In justifying his opposition to the ParisREAD MORE
This Map Shows Which Communities Need the Most Help in a Disaster
Armed with howling winds and punishing rain, Hurricane Florence laid siege to Lumberton, North Carolina earlier this month. To a town where more than a third of residents live below the poverty line, the storm brought all manner of mayhem. It made quick work of a temporary dam, sending floodwaters rushing into the poorest neighborhoods, low-lyingREAD MORE
Anger and Ambition at the Global Climate Action Summit
Earlier this week, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed an executive order setting a goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2045, arguably the most significant climate target ever set. But in the days after Brown’s announcement, activists took to the street to say, “Not good enough.” Hundreds marched outside the Moscone Center in SanREAD MORE
Once a Black Mecca, Africatown Has Been Hobbled by Pollution
It began as a beacon of freedom, founded by those aboard the last slave ship to reach the United States. For decades, it stood as a sanctuary of African culture, but today, the small community on the outskirts of Mobile, Alabama is struggling to stay alive. In the 1940s, industry moved to Africatown, as it’s called,READ MORE
Katrina Survivors Call for Reproductive Rights (VIDEO)
Thirteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina stole the lives of more than 1,800 Americans and plunged New Orleans into pandemonium. Locals marked the storm’s anniversary by looking to the past, reflecting on its legacy and honoring those who were lost. Some, however, also looked to the years ahead with the knowledge that rising temperatures will only makeREAD MORE
Atomic Weapons and Nuclear Power Spark Outrage in Georgia (VIDEO)
You could be forgiven for taking a Geiger counter on a visit to Shell Bluff, Georgia. The town lies just across the Savannah River from a nuclear weapons facility and just down the road from an aging nuclear power plant. The river is one of the most toxic waterways in the country. The weapons facility isREAD MORE
Mothers and Kids Hold ‘Play-In’ Against Climate Change (VIDEO)
Hundreds of protestors, mostly mothers and their children, took to Capitol Hill Wednesday to call on lawmakers to address air pollution and climate change. The “play-in” featured remarks by several advocates, journalists and members of Congress who are also mothers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Telemundo correspondent Vanessa Hauc and native rights activist CaseyREAD MORE
Heartland Institute Wants to Abolish EPA for 50-State Committee
Yesterday, the Heartland Institute’s environment page— on which materials are typically ordered chronologically with new posts at the top — reposted a policy brief from 2014. The proposal? Replacing the EPA with a “Committee of the Whole of the 50 state environmental protection agencies.” Eight years ago, this idea was a pipe dream. No policymaker in Washington wouldREAD MORE
Uncovering the Mental Health Crisis of Climate Change
The young man believed he only had five years to live. “Not because he was sick,” said Kate Schapira, “not because anything was wrong with him, but because he believed that life on Earth would be impossible for humans.” The sign on Schapira’s booth read: CLIMATE ANXIETY COUNSELING 5¢ THE DOCTOR IS IN. Time to earnREAD MORE
Fossil Fuels’ Dirty Secret: Climate Action or Not, Things Look Bad
Ten years ago Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes said he wasn’t worried about digital streaming. “I’ve been frankly confused by this fascination that everybody has with Netflix,” he said. Blockbuster’s head of digital strategy echoed this sentiment, asserting the company was “strategically better positioned than almost anybody out there.” Not long after, Blockbuster went the way ofREAD MORE
States Promised to Fulfill the Paris Agreement. Here’s How They’re Going to Do It.
A year ago today, President Trump announced the United States would exit the Paris Climate Agreement. His decision drew harsh criticism from world leaders, CEOs and U.S. elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans. In the days that followed, hundreds of cities, states, businesses and universities pledged to do their part to uphold the Paris Agreement. Now,READ MORE
Racial Resentment May Be Fueling Climate Denial
What began as a way of trolling Prius drivers became a signature protest against America’s first black president — rolling coal. Drivers spend hundreds or thousands of dollars retrofitting their trucks so they can blanket cyclists, motorists and pedestrians with thick, black clouds of exhaust. “I run into a lot of people that really don’t like Obama atREAD MORE