 Water
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Flooding in Fayetteville, NC Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty
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Florence’s Deadly Waters
Although Hurricane Florence was downgraded to a tropical depression over the weekend, the flash flooding and river flooding she has caused have been devastating to countless communities in North and South Carolina. At least 18 people have lost their lives and 740,000 homes and businesses are still without power throughout the Carolinas. As rains remain steady, it’s important to remember that natural disasters aren’t great equalizers and that poorer communities suffer disproportionately when they strike. Lower-income Americans tend to live in neighborhoods and buildings that can’t withstand the shock of a hurricane–substandard construction in public housing or lack of repairs to roofs and walls make homes especially vulnerable to damage. Even during recovery efforts, these same Americans are not treated equally to their wealthier neighbors (or their suffering and deaths are dismissed entirely). Worse yet, some people simply do not have the means to evacuate and are forced to weather the storm despite evacuation orders.
Last year during Hurricane Harvey we saw environmental injustice play out vividly. As the Huffington Post explained, in previous decades as Houston expanded outward, lands that once absorbed rainwater were turned into parking lots, roads and developments. There are no environmental zoning laws, only deeds that allow property owners to dictate how the land is used. In wealthier ― which, in a city where Jim Crow once reigned, usually translates to whiter ― areas, residents invited flood safeguards, such as dikes and berms, and spurned hazards such as chemical plants and refineries forcing them onto poorer communities.
Why This Matters: Since lower-income Americans live closer to power plants and refineries they are most at risk when these facilities leak toxins. Before Florence struck there were worries that coal ash ponds would spill over with the rising water and sadly those fears were valid. As Bloomberg reported, a Duke Energy Corp. landfill near Wilmington, North Carolina, failed under the assault of Florence, spilling about 2,000 cubic yards of coal ash that can carry toxic mercury, arsenic and lead. The people that stand to suffer most from these toxic chemicals in the Carolinas are overwhelmingly people of color and those with the least amount of political capital to protect themselves from such injustice.
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 Climate Change
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The Climate Summit is Over, What’s Next?
The Global Climate Action Summit concluded last Friday and throughout the event there was no shortage of bold announcements to continue the fight against climate change. These announcements included the launch of a green bond partnership and Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy, a $5.6 trillion investor coalition to curb deforestation, a philanthropic commitment of $4 billion over the next five years to combat climate change, and the launch of a climate change monitoring satellite (just to name a few!). The conference purposefully focused on sub-nationational efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the question remains if these efforts can truly be enough to meets former President Barack Obama’s Paris Agreement pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. The coalition of these subnational efforts–which now consists of 16 states, Puerto Rico, hundreds of cities and nearly 2,000 businesses–is determined to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement even if their own report finds that United States emissions are currently on track to fall only about 17 percent by 2025.
As the New York Times reported, in December, countries will meet in Poland to finalize a “rule book” for implementing the Paris Agreement — touching on contentious topics like how to track and verify emissions cuts. Over the next two years, many nations will then have to decide whether to strengthen their national pledges on climate action, which are currently far too weak to avoid drastic warming. GCAS focused on collaboration and shared innovation between nations and really served as an event to revitalize fatigued spirits in the Trump era and demonstrate the diverse constituencies that are still demanding action on climate change.
Why This Matters: The resounding message I (Miro) heard throughout the summit was the urgency of voting in every election and for all levels of government. Presidents who support climate action matter very much but so do mayors, city council members, school board superintendents etc., thus voting for candidates who are dedicated to the issue all the way down the ballot is incredibly important. Ultimately my takeaway from the summit was that its success will be decided by November’s election and subsequent ones. We must treat climate change as a threat to national security, the economy, public health, and something that fuels mass migrations of refugees but also leaves room for the development of a clean energy workforce.
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 People
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Photo: Kyodo News Service, Japan Times
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Japan’s Bid to Re-Start Commercial Whaling Harpooned at International Meeting
The Japanese government’s effort to end the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling, which began in the mid-eighties, was soundly voted down by the Commission on Friday, ending Japan’s quest to “legalize” their so-called “scientific” whaling. In fact, the Commission passed a resolution — the Florianopolis Declaration — affirming that whale conservation is now the outright purpose of the Commission, rather than the setting of whaling quotas. Japan is now reportedly considering withdrawing from the Commission, a hollow threat it has repeated both during and after every recent meeting. And in a huge vicotry for Alaskan Eskimos, the U.S. obtained a new seven-year permit for their subsistence hunts, and even more importantly, a perpetual renewal of the permit as long as the Alaskans stay within the permit’s mandates. Local CBS news station WKTVA reported Eskimo leaders said upon achieving the quota approval, “This is a great achievement for our people,” said AEWC Vice Chairman Crawford Patkotak, a member of the U.S. delegation. “We praise God for making this possible and we thank the U.S. Delegation, Ryan Wulff, Dr. Mike Tillman, Dr. Greg Donovan of the IWC Secretariat, Mayor Brower, and the many people who have supported us.”
Why This Matters: It is hard to imagine Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society praising the IWC for its bold decisions, but he did. Watson, who has spent many years criticizing the Commission’s failure to act and opposing Japan’s “scientific research” programs, said on Saturday: “Following yesterday’s most welcome Florianopolis Declaration, this defeat of the Japanese proposal has made the 67th meeting of the International Whaling Commission an awesome historical event for the world’s whales.” Wow. Great work and congratulations to the entire U.S. delegation (OK I Monica admit I am biased here since I used to be the U.S. Commissioner) for working to secure such a big win for whale conservation and for Alaskan Eskimos whose traditional hunts are essential for their food security and way of life.
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 Oceans
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A feather star crinoid in the Mytilus Seamount, Northeast Canyons & Seamounts Marine National Monument
Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Monument Turns Two
The first full-fledged marine park in the Atlantic Ocean, with only recreational fishing and no other extractive activity of any kind allowed, celebrated its second anniversary late last week with an event at the Mystic Aquarium, and the announcement the result of its first marine life survey, which showed abundant and surprising wildlife in the park’s boundaries. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument was created by President Obama, but is one of the monuments under review by the Trump Administration. A decision on the future of the monument — whether to eliminate it, shrink it, or to allow fishing and other harmful activities within its boundaries (effectively gutting it), is expected any day now.
A group of scientists from the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life conducted the aerial survey earlier this month and in only 4 hours of flying time, the team saw more than 600 animals. According to a blog post by Esther Quintana, one of the scientists doing the survey, it was, “an amazing count in such a short period of time and the highest count so far! The marine monument is known as the “Serengeti of the Sea” for a reason.” All told, the team spotted 335 common dolphins, 234 Risso’s dolphins, 30 bottlenose dolphins, two beaked whales, three ocean sunfish, and a rare giant manta ray. The manta ray was a particular surprise — this species is rarely seen so far north.
“It’s simply impossible to overstate the uniqueness of this habitat and its value as the most protected region in the U.S. Atlantic,” said Vikki Spruill, President and CEO of the New England Aquarium. “And let’s be clear about what it protects: Us. Our way of life. Our values. Our future. The monument should be here to stay.”
Why This Matters: There are marine sanctuaries in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean, but they are not fully protected, as well as areas that have temporary bans on fishing. But the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is the only area that is fully protected from all industrial activity. This monument is hardly touched by fishing — but fishermen fought hard to keep it from happening. They did not want more unique areas like this one protected up and down the coast, so they dug in and fought. The Trump Administration heard them and pledged to scale it back. But internal documents revealed that there would be little benefit to industry to reverse this monument declaration. And the environmental benefits of having it are only just beginning to be evident. Soon enough our ocean waters will be crowded with wind farms, fishing, and shipping lanes. We need to make sure nature has a place going forward as well.
What You Can Do: If you want to let the President know you oppose changes to the monument, click here to send a letter opposing any scaling back of the monument.
H/Ts to Priscilla of Conservation Law Foundation, Sarah of NRDC, and Amy of the National Ocean Protection Coalition.
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 Animals
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Boarder on Cape Cod Killed in First Local Shark Attack in 80 Years
A Massachusetts man boogie boarding off the coast of Cape Cod was attacked by what investigators believe was a great white shark and later died as a result of his injuries. The victim was approximately 30 yards from shore at the Newcomb Hollow Beach near Wellfleet when the shark attack occurred, and he was with another boogie boarder. Both of them, the Cape Cod Times reported, were “doing all these cool tricks, doing flips, spinning backward,” said Wendy Rennert who was watching close by — within 50 feet of the two men. The other boarder immediately alerted bystanders of the attack and they pulled the injured man from the water. Some witnesses believe the victim died within minutes before he was taken to the hospital. Another man was attacked by a shark approximately a month ago on a nearby beach and survived only after extensive surgery in Boston. Beaches have been closed to swimming as a result of the numerous shark sightings.
Scientists in the area believe that the sharks are coming into shallower waters looking to feed on seals. “Seals are attracted to shallower areas where they don’t think the sharks will get to them,” said Gregory Skomal, who works with the State Division of Marine Fisheries. Skomal believes that the sharks are cruising the deeper channels between sandbars hunting seals while conscious of the real threat of beaching themselves. It’s a hunting strategy that takes them into shallower waters and thus seems to be unique to Cape Cod. “When they strike with a ferocity of this nature, they believe what they are eating is an aggressive seal that can fight back,” Skomal said. This is the first fatality in the area from a shark attack in approximately 80 years.
Why This Matters: As we have reported here in ODP, shark attacks are rare and fatalities are even rarer. At a time like this when people may fear returning to the water, public education about the risks and how to take precautions is imperative. The National Park Service advises, “People recreating in Cape Cod waters should read and heed advisories posted at beaches. Do not swim near seals; swim close to shore where feet can touch the bottom; swim, paddle, and kayak in groups; do not swim alone at dawn or dusk; avoid isolation, and limit splashing and do not wear shiny jewelry.” As one observer put it, this is real now. Just look at the map below to see how many shark sightings have occurred off the Cape this summer.
To Go Deeper: If you want to learn from the experts about what to do if you are attacked by a shark, click here. And to check out the Cape Cod Times’ interactive map with shark sightings this year on the Cape, click here.
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 Sustainability
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One Cool Thing: Easy Steps to Travel More Sustainably
Despite the fact that it’s still technically summer until this Saturday, the holidays (and all that travel!) are just a couple months away! While vacation travel is enriching and holiday travel gets us to the people we love, it can be incredibly taxing on the environment. From the CO2 emissions of planes and cars to the amount of food that goes to waste in our fridge when we don’t make a plan to eat it, it all adds up! Before you start planning your jet setting check out this article for some simple ways to consider the planet while still getting to where you want to go.
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