by Julia Rosen, The New York Times Highlights With wildfire season fast approaching, concerns about fire smoke as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic are rising Scientists worry that wildfire smoke will have effects for months as a recent study in Montana showed that smoky summers led to more severe flu seasons the following winter People … Read more
by Shannon Osaka, Grist Highlights The failure of Americans to wear protective masks in order to keep themselves and those around them safe highlights a collective action issue the country faces The climate crisis is the world’s most notorious collective action problem because all countries would need to participate and lower emissions all together Political … Read more
by Hiroko Tabuchi, The New York Times Highlights The California Air Resource Board unanimously voted in a new rule requiring more than half of all trucks sold in the state to be zero-emissions by 2035 This rule is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and establish California as an EV manufacturing hub … Read more
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
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
by Matthew Brown, USA Today Highlights The shelter in place measures spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a drop of emissions, but this drop was not significant enough to significantly slow climate change Although The International Energy Agency projects global carbon emissions will fall by 8%, this year is set to be the hottest … Read more
by Rachel Ramirez, Grist Highlights Brazil now has the second-highest number of documented COVID-19 cases, with 400,000 confirmed cases and 25,000 deaths According to the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, an indigenous rights organization, the mortality rate among the indigenous population of nearly one million is double that experienced in Brazil overall The entire Amazon region … Read more
By Yvette Cabrera, Grist Highlights There are large disparities in COVID-19 deaths among people who have historically faced environmental justice issues within the US. African-American communities have historically been disproportionately housed near sources of large pollution, particularly in the South, leading these communities to develop asthma, cancers, and other respiratory problems This life long exposure … Read more
From Science Daily Highlights Energy and climate policy researchers in Switzerland and Germany support policies allowing a clean energy transition guide the COVID-19 economic response. The researchers suggest investing in solutions that would advance Paris Agreement climate goals and dismantle systems that hurt global emissions goals Though there are fewer emissions due to shelter in … Read more
Let’s imagine it is April 2030. In the early 2020s, as the coronavirus pandemic swept the world, we in California finally addressed the climate crisis at the speed and scale science demanded. Nation & World Collaborating for Speed & Scale Climate Action Today, Earth Day 2030, we celebrate the deep systemic changes we have collectively … Read more
