Public Health

| Post

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
| Post

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
| Post

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
| Post

A closer look at farmer relief in senate pandemic aid package

Farmers in Rockingham County, Virginia check the results of no-till farming in their fields on September 9, 2008, as part of their participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI).

from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Highlights The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by the President to aid businesses and Americans features specific provisions targeting farmers and food insecurity. Agricultural Provisions An important measure of the relief bill helps provide support for producers impacted by the coronavirus, specifically for specialty crop … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Public Health
| Post

As Congress debates an economic stimulus, where should the money be spent?

by Ken Kimmel, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists Highlights Current situation: Federal government response to COVID-19: In Washington DC a bi-partisan effort to help the country cope with COVID-19 is underway. So far, one immediate emergency bill appropriated approximately $8 billion designed to treat and prevent the virus. A second bill has also … Read more

Categories Business Network Clean Energy Divestment Fossil Fuels Public Health Transportation
| Post

Op-ed: Coronavirus pandemic—the consequences of sidelining science

by Derrick Z. Jackson, Union of Concerned Scientists Highlights: Journalist Derrick Z. Jackson explains how the current administration is ignoring the science behind the COVID-19 outbreak, and jeopardizing many lives in the process. Wealthy corporations such as Target and Walgreens have offered support during this time as locations for potential drive-in style testing facilities The … Read more

Categories Public Health
| Post

CCOF releases roadmap to an organic California policy report

Farmers in Rockingham County, Virginia check the results of no-till farming in their fields on September 9, 2008, as part of their participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI).

by California Certified Organic Farmers Highlights: California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) recently released a Roadmap to an Organic California policy report.  The report highlights the personal and environmental health benefits of adopting 100% organic farming practices: Benefits of organic farming include: Sequestration – organic farming removes 14 times more CO2 from the atmosphere compared to … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Public Health
| Post

‘Tip of the iceberg’: Is our destruction of nature responsible for Covid-19?

by John Vidal, The Guardian Highlights: As humans continue to encroach on wildland for development, the exposure to more zoonotic diseases increases, which could cause more pandemics:  As more people log, mine, and develop roads and towns in tropic forests and other important wildlife habitats, humans increase their chances of contracting diseases and unknown viruses … Read more

Categories Public Health
| Post

Traffic and pollution plummet as U.S. cities shut down for Coronavirus

by Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich, The New York Times Highlights: Major cities across the United States are experiencing decreases in traffic and, subsequently, decreases in air pollution due to self-isolation mandates in various areas. Nitrogen dioxide emissions have dropped dramatically and traffic jams have virtually stopped in Los Angeles. Traffic was reportedly moving 71 percent faster than … Read more

Categories Public Health Transportation
| Post

How changes brought on by coronavirus could help tackle climate change

by Glen Peters, The Conversation Highlights: Carbon emissions are dropping due to reduced energy consumption, but previous financial crises and events have led to lower emissions only temporarily. At best, a financial crisis delays emissions growth a few years.  So far forecasts still indicate the global economy will grow in 2020. For example, the Organization … Read more

Categories Business Network Public Health