Public Health

| Press Release

Governor Newsom announces statewide 3,200-foot setback between communities and oil and gas drilling – The Climate Center response

Oil sites in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, by Greenpeace

Wilmington, CA — Today, Governor Newsom announced that California’s oil regulator, California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM), has released a draft health and safety rule recommending a mandated 3,200-foot distance between new oil and gas extraction sites and the places where people live, work, and play. According to the Associated Press, the 32,400 wells within … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Public Health
| Press Release

Oil pipeline spills 126,000 gallons off the coast of Orange County – The Climate Center response

Major Oil Spill Fouls Southern California Beaches

On Sunday, October 3, an oil pipeline operated by Beta Offshore — a California subsidiary of Houston-based Amplify Energy Corporation — spilled at least 126,000 gallons into the Pacific Ocean. Oil is expected to continue washing onto local beaches for several more days, along with dead wildlife and toxic fumes.  In response, The Climate Center … Read more

Categories Fossil Fuels Public Health
| Blog Post

The California climate bills that passed — and failed — in 2021

Capitol Building in Sacramento

With the crack of the gavel last Friday night, California’s 2021 legislative session came to a close. Overall, this was a lackluster year for climate action in the California legislature. The most ambitious climate bills — including a measure that would have set a net-negative emissions target, the most ambitious climate goal in the country … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Public Health Transportation
| Post

Choking on fumes: Diesel generators are booming with state funding

Los Angeles Smog by Massimo Catarinella

In a state that takes pride in claiming to be a world leader in technology and reducing carbon emissions, state and local government decision-makers in California have taken a giant step backward in funding diesel back-up generators to mitigate for Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).  In recent years, power shutoffs have cost California billions of … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Climate Justice Community Energy Resilience Fossil Fuels Public Health
| Post

Scott Wiener introduces bill to ban California fracking by 2027

by J.D. Morris, The San Francisco Chronicle Highlights State Senators Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Sen. Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, introduced a bill that would halt the issuance of permits for fracking and phase out the practice by 2027  Sen. Wiener explains why this bill is so important: “The world is being strangled right now … Read more

Categories Fossil Fuels Public Health
| Post

Emissions Gap Report 2020: Where we are & where we should be to avoid catastrophe

from The United Nations Environment Programme Highlights The United Nations Environment Programme has released their Emissions Gap Report for 2020, highlighting where greenhouse gas predictions for 2030 are and how the world can avoid climate disaster Currently, the world is headed for temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century and 2020 has likely to … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Climate Targets Public Health
| Post

California’s 2018 wildfires cost the US economy $148.5 billion

by Brian Kahn, Gizmodo Highlights According to Nature Sustainability, the 2018 wildfires resulted in a $148.5 billion economic loss for the United States At the peak of the Camp Fire in November, nearly 40% of the state’s population was breathing air deemed unhealthy or worse and an estimated 3,652 people died from air pollution About … Read more

Categories Public Health
| Post

The fossil fuel industry wants you to believe it’s good for people of color

by Sammy Roth, The Los Angeles Times Highlights Fossil fuel companies claim to be working in favor of communities of color, including indigenous and tribal groups, by pushing their natural gas agenda Gas industry groups and organizations that accept fossil fuel money promote the idea that a transition away from natural gas will disproportionately affect … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Divestment Fossil Fuels Public Health