The Latest Climate News
Share
How to summarize this yoyo of a week….well i can’t, and I’m processing but THANK you to this community that is sustaining this crazy little adventure and doing their part to protect the planet!
In the political world….well a lot happened this week. Understatement of the century.
“Ugh Julia, not more politics” well unfortunately someone somewhere decided the climate was political. I also totally get that the inundation of information is….exhausting and not so great for our mental health…so while I do not recommend turning off everything, set boundaries, and find a time to tune in what’s going on- for me it looks like once a day for a limited amount of time….for you it might be once a week.
Latest Climate Blows:
EPA Endangerment Finding Repealed: in simple terms…this was the SCOTUS ruling that carbon emissions are harmful for the planet and for our health and enables law makers to put limits on what greenhouse gases manufacturers can emit (think car exhaust, power plants).
Press Release from the EPA: Cliff notes, the Endangerment Finding makes things more expensive for consumers so now cars are going to be a lot cheaper because of the deregulation.
Concerns of 100% of Scientists/Every single environmental/public health organization: this makes climate change accelerate faster, this makes our air less clean, and COSTS more money. (think: the expenses of severe weather, healthcare costs, etc).
What next? This will 100% go to court, NGOs and states will definitely be suing the administration over this.
Executive Order on the Production of Glyphosate President Trump issued an Executive Order to spur the production of the weedkiller, aka Roundup, that is a KNOWN carcinogen (I’m not sure which of the abundance of research papers to link so here…. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so much so…, Secretary RFK jr supported this decision Ironically, RFK Jr was on this case. Well the MAHA faction is….pissed to put it bluntly. Same. Even if you buy organic, that sort of pesticide use is everywhere…it travels and contaminates organically grown food, waterways, and it’s used in public spaces….everywhere. I find it a hard sell that this is ‘securing our nations food supply’ and not just an economic decision.
Boundary Waters Mining: perhaps getting less ‘news,’ because its not as…IDK “exciting?”….is that congress is set to vote on overturning a 20 year ban on mining Mining (and yes I realize that we do need mining to an extent for resources, and those resources have to come from SOMEWHERE) is highly environmentally destructive, but this pristine wilderness is not ideal, AND the mining of copper can lead to some pretty toxic byproducts. Heather Cox Richardson has a very good summary on this.
More evidence of long ignored PFAs risks Residents in Georgia are fighting back….and yet there is a bill in the house to prevent them from doing so. Manufacturers of carpets have known about PFAS being harmful and yet continued to use causing environmental and public health consequences. note, if you like buying water resistant things like carpets…check for PFAs. Want more info on PFAs? check out my older blog post.
Why I’m mad?
I think that is likely fairly obvious, However, I AM able to (to a certain extent/on a basic level) choose what foods I eat, what chemicals I put on my body, or what I use in my home (yes, I add the above caveat because I realize I might not choose to eat contaminated foods, and that it’s also a privilege that I am afforded many of these choices)...but the air I breath? I have way LESS control over that. So yeah I’m going to speak up and be mad.
What you can do?
Use 5 calls (or any method you see fit! I like 5 calls because it’s easy for me) to get in touch with your reps.
Support organizations that are going to fight policy change…okay here’s where I could use some help/community input: Leading the legal charge is the NRDC and Earthjustice. However, I haven’t ‘vetted’ earthjustice and know that the NRDC definitely has its pros and cons and some controversial history. The Sierra Club has been around forever too. What is your favorite larger organization fighting the legal battles against Executive Orders?
Our favorite orgs fighting for a clean and healthy environment:
Surfrider Foundation: is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network.They fight for plastic reduction, ocean protection, beach access, our coasts and climate,and clean water.
Protect Our Winters (POW): dedicated outdoor enthusiasts and athletes focused on nurturing a sustainable planet.
Locally:
North South Rivers Watershed Association (PS did you see their announcement!? SO EXCITED and grateful to the team working hard to make this happen).