Public Health

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Coronavirus is not just a health crisis — it’s an environmental justice crisis

Nick Fullerton – Richmond oil refinery fire1

 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

Categories Climate Justice Public Health
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COVID-19 will not slow the climate crisis. Only sound policy can.

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

Categories Clean Energy Public Health
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Earth Day 2030: California celebrates reaching net-negative emissions

Golden Gate by Benjamin W.

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

Categories Business Network Carbon Sequestration Clean Energy Climate Justice Climate Targets Community Energy Resilience Divestment Public Health Transportation
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Environmental groups sue EPA over ‘reckless’ response to coronavirus

 By Yvette Cabrera, Grist Highlights The National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on behalf of a dozen environmental groups. Environmental groups across the country petitioned the EPA to publish an emergency rule that requires polluters to submit a public notice that they are taking advantage of newly relaxed … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Public Health
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Gov. Newsom leads on public health, except when it comes to the oil industry

Fracking rig operates next to a walking and bike way for residents of Signal Hill drilling into the Los Angeles Oil Field. Photo by Sarah Craig.

By Rosanna Esparza and Ashley Hernandez, The Sacramento Bee ACTION ALERT: Send Governor Newsom a message now to reverse his decision and halt fracking. Highlights California Governor Gavin Newsom approved 24 new fracking permits for the state in the midst of shelter-at-home mandates as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Though Newsom is doing great at … Read more

Categories Divestment Fossil Fuels Public Health
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Climate change won’t stop for the coronavirus pandemic

By Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica Highlights Inevitable climate-change fueled catastrophes such as wildfires and hurricanes will increase the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change has amplified the threats of natural disasters over the years and will prove disastrous as the pandemic rages on worldwide The U.S. National Climate Assessment warned that scientists and officials … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Public Health
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Trump’s move to suspend enforcement of environmental laws is a lifeline to the oil industry

By Marianne Levelle, Inside Climate News Highlights The Trump administration suspended U.S. environmental laws due to calls for help from the American Petroleum Institute. The suspension of the rules will ultimately lead to more pollution, making more people in frontline communities susceptible to health risks, including COVID-19.  The Environmental Protection Agency announced a policy that … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Public Health
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Climate change increasing fire weather days in California; emissions reductions can reverse this

from Environmental Research Letters Highlights As the state gets warmer every year due to the effects of climate change, California’s wildfire season is being fueled by offshore winds, dry vegetation, and drought. These fires result in public health risks from smoke and can result in long term energy shutoffs.  Fire Causes Human exposure and vulnerability … Read more

Categories Public Health
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Air pollution linked to far higher Covid-19 death rates, Harvard study finds

by Damian Carrington, The Guardian Highlights New research from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health suggests that air pollution is linked to higher death rates for people that have contracted COVID-19 compared to those living in areas with cleaner air. Living in a polluted city in the past has an effect on death … Read more

Categories Fossil Fuels Public Health Transportation
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250,000 deaths a year from climate change is a ‘conservative estimate,’ research says

Hurricane Katrina

by Brian Bienkowski, Environmental Health News Highlights The World Health Organization (WHO) predicted that climate change could result in 250,000 deaths per year, and a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that number could be even higher. Deaths from climate change would be a result of global increases in malaria, diarrhea, … Read more

Categories Public Health