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Politics
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison was called out in a major way this week when he refused to talk about the effect climate change had on the nation’s catastrophic wildfires. Students across Australia even plan to single him out at climate marches across the country. It begs the question, what sort of devastating natural disaster […]
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The North American migration of monarch butterflies is truly extraordinary. The 3,000-mile journey from Canada to Mexico draws spectators from around the world to behold its magic. In fact, in Mexican folklore, the butterflies are believed to carry the souls of loved ones. But although their migration and entire lives depend on adapting to climate, […]
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On Wednesday, the House Democratic leadership rolled out their answer to the Green New Deal — an outline of a proposal they call “The Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act,” which adopts the science-based goal of transitioning the United States to a 100 percent clean economy – defined as producing net-zero emissions – by 2050.
Why This Matters: The bill is being released now to lay the groundwork in the event that Dems win the White House in 2020.
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In 2019 one of the most jarring stories we covered was about how much climate change is affecting the health of our children. The Lancet’s startling conclusion was that a child born today will experience a world that is more than 4˚C warmer by the time they turn 71 years old, which will threaten their health […]
Continue Reading 186 wordsI (Miro) am not under the impression that anyone really wants to reminisce about the politics of 2019. From impeachment to the gutting of the Clean Power Plan and the Endangered Species, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts, it was often a very heavy time for those of us who have dedicated our careers to […]
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By Polen Cisneros, Wildlife Crime Program Officer, International Fund for Animal Welfare As a conservationist and a millennial, it is easy to say that 2019 was rather a disheartening year for nature. Not only did the current administration weaken certain protections for animals at the risk of extinction, but the 2019 IPBES Report also painted […]
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Tim Albert, Politico’s Chief Political correspondent, broke the climate barrier and asked a climate question in the first hour. Interestingly, none of the candidates — not even Bernie Sanders — said the words Green New Deal.
Why This Matters: It would have been debate malpractice for PBS and Politico to ignore climate change in California, where its impacts have hit the state hard. All the candidates recognized that climate is an existential crisis, they were optimistic about the ability of the U.S. to innovate its way out of the crisis, and all of them emphasized the job-growth potential of transitioning away from carbon.
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This week there was a momentous piece of good news for conservation — one of the largest and most powerful and influential U.S. banks, Goldman Sachs, said it will not fund projects that drill for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This is huge — between 2016 and 2018, Goldman Sachs invested […]
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Some environmental groups and Democratic Members of Congress are expressing regrets that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact that the House is set to vote on this week does not do anything to address climate change. However, the agreement does add language on protecting whales, fish and other marine wildlife from pollution and overfishing, according to a summary of the agreement in The Washington Post.
Why This Matters: The USMCA agreement may not be very green, but it is blue-er than NAFTA for sure. But some Democrats who are concerned about climate change will be studying the legislation before they decide whether to support it, according to E&E News.
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Political cartoons often provide the satire that keeps politics and global events from feeling too overwhelming. We’re personally big fans and that’s why we asked the incredibly talented political cartoonist and illustrator, Alexandra Bowman, to become a contributor for ODP. Alex is a sophomore at Georgetown and the Founder and President of “The Hilltop Show,” a student […]
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The Trump Administration may be expecting more of state environmental agencies — indeed, they have delegated more authority to certain states in order to ensure greater “flexibility” for industry — but a majority of states have cut the budget of their environmental agencies according to a new report entitled “The Thin Green Line” by the Environmental Integrity Project.
Why This Matters: This compounds the neglect of the federal government, which has cut EPA’s budget for pollution control and science over the same time period.
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Yesterday, with an all-out media blitzkrieg, former Secretary of State John Kerry and former California Governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and a group of high profile leaders from business, entertainment, the military and politics launched a campaign called “World War Zero” to mobilize Americans and people around the world to tackle climate change.
Why This Matters: This is the most powerful group of leaders to mobilize yet — and leadership on this issue right now is in short supply.
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