COVID-19

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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
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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
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Coronavirus shutdowns are lowering greenhouse gas emissions; history shows they’ll roar back

by Tony Barboza, The Los Angeles Times Highlights: As the world shelters-in-place due to the pandemic of COVID-19, greenhouse gas emissions have lowered. However, this reduction in emissions is temporary and emissions will rise again once the pandemic reaches an end: Once self-isolation and quarantines end, more people will travel by car and airplane, ruining … Read more

Categories Fossil Fuels
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‘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
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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
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Why the coronavirus outbreak is terrible news for climate change

by James Temple, MIT Technology Review Highlights First and foremost, the whole point of addressing global warming is to avoid widespread suffering and death, so climate activists should keep this lens Greenhouse gas emissions rebound is likely after the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), as history tells us for several reasons: If capital markets lock up, it’s … Read more

Categories Business Network Fossil Fuels