 Air
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Trump’s EPA Admits ACE Rule Will Lead to Premature Deaths
In saving coal jobs, the new, so-called “Affordable Clean Energy” or ACE rule will lead to 1400 premature deaths by 2030 as a result of the increased pollution that will be permitted, and tens of thousands of missed school days for kids with asthma and other respiratory ailments. The New York Times cited EPA’s own analysis shows that the expected increase in the extremely fine particulate matter (soot) that is linked to heart and lung disease, up to 15,000 new cases of upper respiratory problems, a rise in bronchitis, and tens of thousands of absences from school or work. The New Republic’s Emily Atkin summed up the impacts from the ACE Rule between now and 2030 this way:
- 120,000 new cases of exacerbated asthma
- 48,000 new missed days of school
- 48,000 missed work days
- 760 non-fatal heart attacks
- 690 emergency room visits for asthma
- 300,000 “minor-restricted activity” days
When the Obama Administration put the Clean Power Plan in place, it estimated the opposite — health benefits for tens of thousands. A similar analysis by the E.P.A. of those stricter rules, according to the Times, stated that they would prevent between 1,500 and 3,600 premature deaths per year by 2030, and would reduce the number of school days missed by 180,000 annually. Some argued that this analysis overstated the possible harm caused by the rule because it relied only on a 2012 study, but ignored a 2009 study that would halve the number of deaths.
Why This Matters: The American Lung Association did not mince words. It put out a statement saying, “[w]ith today’s proposal, President Trump and Acting EPA Administrator Wheeler abandon much-needed public health safeguards against power plant pollution, placing the health of all Americans at risk, and especially those who are most vulnerable, including children, older adults, and people with asthma and heart disease.” Even under the best scenarios analyzed by the EPA, the price in terms of premature deaths and human suffering caused by the ACE rule is extremely high.
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 Climate Change
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Photo: Benjamin Leatherman
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Phoenix Prepares for Extreme Heat
Phoenix is already a hot place but climate change is driving up average temperatures each summer making the heat deadly for residents–especially children, the elderly, and the poor. As NPR reported, more than 155 people died from heat-related causes in the Phoenix area last year, a new record in a place where the number of such deaths has been on the rise. Additionally nighttime low temperatures are have gone up an average 9 degrees in recent decades which makes it harder for people to cool off especially if they don’t have reliable access to cool places or air conditioning. Former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton deemed it a public health crisis, and the city has launched an overhaul of how it prepares for and deals with extreme heat.
While other cities prepare for wildfires and hurricanes, Phoenix is working on a preparedness plan for extreme heat. The plan includes actually trying to lower the temperature of the city because currently the miles of asphalt parking lots and wide roads, expanding sprawl of low buildings, and the growing number of cars and air conditioners add to the heat trapped within the city. Adding shade to the city (through trees and man-made structures) and planting cooling landscapes, paving roads with permeable materials and painting roofs white or making them out of reflective materials are all measures the city can take to help mitigate some of the intense heat. Another important component of the heat preparedness plan is creating an extreme heat alert system to let people know when it’s risky to be outside because most heat-related deaths throughout Phoenix are outdoors, with trails and desert areas being among the most common locations.
Why This Matters: More Americans die from heat-related causes in the U.S. than from all other extreme weather events. Even if you don’t get heat stroke, extreme heat is incredibly taxing on the body and can cause long-term health problems when people are regularly exposed to it. As climate change makes cities like Phoenix dangerously hot more regularly, it’s going up to be up to elected officials to treat extreme heat as a public health threat and ensure that people are able to stay safe and cool.
Go Deeper: Know the signs of heat stroke and cal 911 immediately if you suspect someone has it. Homeless people are especially vulnerable in summer months here are some ways to help if you see someone struggling outside in extreme heat.
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 Hurricane
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Hawaii Battens Down the Hatches For Hurricane Lane
As of our writing, Hurricane Lane was a strong Category 4 hurricane and heading toward a brush with the Hawaiian islands. According to Accuweather, Hawaii is bracing for damaging winds and catastrophic flooding, even if not a direct hit on the most populous island, Oahu, that should begin having an impact by this morning, Hawaii time. As a result, Governor David Ige has signed an emergency proclamation in advance of the hurricane. Some schools have also been closed until further notice. The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang reported that the storm is predicted to track parallel to the entire island chain, potentially sideswiping it with a formidable blow from both water and wind. It is not clear exactly how close the storm center will get to the coastline, and that will determine how bad the impacts will be.
Hurricane Lane was, at one point on Tuesday night local time, Category 5 hurricane with winds measuring 160-mph (check out the NOAA hurricane hunter video below). This was a rare event — it became only the second Category 5 hurricanes to pass within 350 miles of Hawaii, according to the National Weather Service office in Honolulu, Hawaii. The last one to come this close was Hurricane John in 1994, and there have only been five Category 5 hurricanes ever recorded in the Pacific. Brian McNoldy, a meteorologist at the University of Miami who studies tropical cyclones, says that usually when hurricanes get near Hawaii they start to detour, heading West across the basin thanks to an atmospheric wind pattern that helps shift the path of incoming storms.
Why This Matters: This storm, even if it only passes close to Hawaii, could still pack a punch in the form of torrential rains. Right now, Accuweather predicts that rainfall of 6 to 12 inches is likely in many locations of the islands, and rain totals of up to 24 inches are forecast in some locations. You may recall that Hawaii broke a national 24-hour rainfall record when 49.69 inches of rain fell during the 24-hour period ending 12:45 p.m. on April 15. Hawaii’s relatively isolated location in the midst of the massive Pacific Ocean makes it less likely to be hit by a hurricane, but that very isolation also makes it hard to assist residents after a hurricane hits.
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NOAA Hurricane Hunter Flying Through Hurricane Lane at its Peak — Category 5
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 People
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Man Hikes Appalachian Trail Through 200+ Day Hikes
The Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine, a path that measures roughly 2,190 miles and generally takes 5-7 months to hike if you do it continuously. For 76-year-old Paul Truesdale of Massachusetts, it took 26 day hikes, over a span of 40 years, to hike the entire trail. Truesdale told the Bangor Daily News that it was all an incremental goal where he’d finish hiking one section of the trail and aspire to do more and more.
For most of his hikes, he started and ended in the same parking lot, which meant he actually passed through those sections twice. At times he left his bicycle at the end of a trail, parked his car at the beginning, and then biked back to his car once he finished. He also had arranged for rides to pick him up after long hikes, but even that had its inconveniences. “A number of times I was left stranded by people that said they were going to be picking me up,” he said. “I was in areas with no cellphone service coverage. There I was, waiting for someone to provide me transportation with no way to figure it out. Those problems were really annoying.” Nonetheless, through all the challenges including run-ins with moose and a broken fibula, Truesdale finished the trail on July 28 in Groseclose, Virginia.
Why This Matters: Truesdale chose to do day hikes because he says he’s never been a fan of camping. This goes to show that there’s something for everyone in the great outdoors, we just have to get outside and keep going!
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This story was brought to you by the National Wildlife Federation. To learn more about how the National Wildlife Federation can help you connect your family with the outdoors, click here.
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 Food
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Photo: West Virginia Department of Corrections
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A Healthier Future for Inmates
Prisons aren’t known for their gourmet food but inmates sometimes aren’t getting enough to eat nor receiving proper nutrition through their meals. Some facilities, in fact, are rationing meals on less than $1.20 per day and the privatization of prison food services has lead to inmates being fed rancid meat and food recovered from the garbage. This raises legitimate questions about what the minimum level of nutrition and food standards should be in our prisons. Regardless of what people may think about people in jail, there should be a consensus on the idea that serving human beings rotten food is unacceptable. Because of this, prisons and organizations around the world are creating programs to create sustainable food systems in prisons to bring better nutrition to incarcerated people. As Foodtank noted, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that food “not only affects physical and mental health,” but is also key to an inmate’s successful rehabilitation and resettlement upon release.
Vegetable gardens grown by inmates not only provide healthful food at a low cost to prison administrators but growing and preparing food teaches inmates vocational skills that they can use once they serve their sentence. Once they’re released, organizations like L.A. Kitchen have stepped in to better cultivate these culinary skills. As Civil Eats reported, L.A. Kitchen is based in a 20,000-square-foot facility, and welcomes a new crop of up to 26 students—people who were formerly in prison, homeless, or in foster care—every 14 weeks, and teaches them culinary, professional, and “life support” skills.
Why This Matters: A 2016 study from Arcadia University notes that prisoners in the United States who participate in farm-based vocational training increase their likelihood of finding employment upon release—and decrease the chance of recidivism by 20 percent. As we address prison reform in this country, these types of programs that provide inmates with proper nutrition and also teach job skills should serve as an example of how prison can be a rehabilitative experience.
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 Sustainability
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One Fun In the Sun Thing: Israel To Convert Oil Pier to Eco Beach to Support its Growing Reef
The city of Eilat, Israel is reclaiming a stretch of prime beach on the Gulf of Eilat from the Eilat Ashkelon Pipe Company (EAPC) for development as an ecological beach with an environmental education center. Eilat is already the home to an important marine park — the Coral Beach Nature Preserve, which extends 1,200 meters under the sea off the coast of the city and is one of the northernmost shallow water reefs in the world. Most remarkable of all, the reef is actually growing — an annual multi-year statistical analysis showed an increase of about half a percent per year in animal concentration. The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat published a report recently recommending that protection of the reef should be a priority in order to preserve it for future generations. The new park will be an environmental tourist attraction – complete with a marine garden, wind chimes, and natural climbing structures – as well as a headquarters for Israeli youth group Shomrei Hamifratz (Guardians of the Gulf).
H/T to loyal reader Marlo K of Indy for sharing this story!
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