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In pandemic recovery efforts, polluting industries are winning big

by Beth Gardiner, Yale Environment 360 Highlights Polluting industries such as airlines and fossil fuel companies have been lobbying for bailout funds and loosening of environmental regulations during the COVID-19 crisis Bailouts and lack of environmental regulations will create a  high-carbon legacy that will last much longer than the current pandemic Since the pandemic, U.S. … Read more

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SoCalGas ramps up use of Aliso Canyon, site of worst gas leak in U.S. history

SoCal Gas Reaches $8.5 Million Settlement Over Aliso Canyon Gas Leak

by Sammy Roth, The Los Angeles Times Highlights One of Governor Gavin Newsom’s campaign promises was to wind down the usage of the Aliso Canyon gas storage field, located just outside Los Angeles. New reports show that the facility usage has increased during his governorship Publicly available information analyzed by Food and Water Watch shows … Read more

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U.S. states have spent the past 5 years trying to criminalize protest

by Naveena Sadasivam, Grist Highlights Minnesota has recently been the site of continued protests focused on racial equality and police brutality. The state has also seen many protests concerning the building of new fossil fuel infrastructure such as large pipeline projects. Over the past four years, state lawmakers have introduced ten bills criminalizing protests that … Read more

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Unequal impact: The deep links between racism and climate change

Protesters march against oil pipeline in solidarity with Native People at Standing Rock in 2016 rally by John Duffy

by Beth Gardiner, Yale Environment 360 Highlights Elizabeth Yeampierre, co-chair of Climate Justice Alliance, shares the correlation between the United States’ racist past and the current climate crisis Climate movements typically center around conversation and protecting wildlife while not advocating for the protection of Black and Brown people who are directly impacted by climate change … Read more

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Melting permafrost in record heat in Arctic damages Russia’s oil & gas network causing oil spill

NPS Climate Change Response NPS Photo (C.Ciancibelli)

by Chanan Bos, Clean Technica Highlights Many of Russia’s oil wells are built on permafrost, a layer of frozen soil, sand, and gravel. This permafrost is now melting quickly, jeopardizing the country’s oil supplies and accelerating climate change The permafrost these oil wells are built on is considered contiguous, meaning it stays frozen for thousands … Read more

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Democrats united behind a climate policy plan, but the timeline is based on old science

by David Roberts, Vox Highlights Broad alignment amongst the Democratic party on climate policy may help the left unite and fight the climate crisis  Working on policy platform with the input of people from different backgrounds, identities, and environmental experiences helped built trust The long list of Democratic presidential hopefuls had a much more expanded … Read more

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U.S. renewable energy consumption surpasses coal for the first time in over 130 years

By Mickey Francis, US Energy Information Administration Highlights In 2019, U.S. annual energy consumption from renewable sources exceeded coal consumption for the first time since before 1885, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Compared with 2018, coal consumption in the United States decreased nearly 15%, and total renewable energy consumption grew by 1%, … Read more

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Another oil project down: Community health and the environment safeguarded

from The Environmental Defense Center Highlights The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) announces the defeat of a proposed project by Aera Energy in the Cat Canyon Oil Field in Santa Barbara County This project could have potentially flooded local roadways, threatened thousands of native oak trees and wildlife, and harmed the water systems The Sierra Club … Read more

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How Amazon is bringing the Keystone XL Pipeline online

by Steve Horn, OneZero Highlights TC Energy, a Canadian pipeline corporation that owns the Keystone XL pipeline, has partnered with Amazon Web Services  The Keystone XL pipeline would carry oil from Alberta to Nebraska but its permit was recently vacated by a federal judge This announcement comes after Google declared it would not help create … Read more

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Climate Justice is Racial Justice

Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland. Photo by Daniel Arauz

The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others at the hands of police, are abhorrent and intolerable. Institutional racism, intentionally interwoven into the American fabric since long before our nation’s founding, has locked in major inequalities for people of color in wealth, income, education, health, jobs, housing, and public safety. Black, … Read more