• Energy

Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines Stymied, BUT SCOTUS Gives Other Projects a Pass

• Bakken crude
• conservation
• Dakota Access Pipeline
• Keystone XL pipeline
• nationwide permit
• oil and gas
• pipeline
• Supreme Court
• TransCanada

A federal judge in Washington, DC ruled yesterday that the Dakota Access Pipeline must shut down and empty all its oil until the government completes an environmental review of the pipeline’s impacts, giving the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, whose reservation lies downstream, a huge victory.  Similarly, late in the day, the Supreme Court refused to overturn the order of a district judge that shut down construction of parts of the Keystone XL pipeline so it is also blocked for now.

Why It Matters:  The Dakota and Keystone XL news is greatly tempered by the fact that numerous other pipeline projects can go ahead despite their inadequate permit unless they are individually challenged in court and blocked.

• Sustainability

Recycling Struggling Due to Pandemic and Electronic Waste Breaks Records

• cardboard
• conservation
• COVID-19
• e-waste
• environment
• recycling
• stimulus

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused turmoil in recycling programs and markets for recycled goods.  Meanwhile, a UN report released last week found that electronic waste produced globally jumped to a record of 53.6 million tons or about 16 pounds per person.

Why This Matters: And while residential waste is greatly increasing, fewer materials are being recycled other than cardboard, which is much in demand.  Recycling, like so many other local programs, needs federal financial support and soon.

• Ocean

One Working Remotely Thing: The Wonders of The Coral Sea Discovered

• #30x30
• conservation
• Coral Sea
• deep sea
• exploration
• Schmidt Ocean Institute
• science

Recently, a deep-sea expedition to the Coral Sea northwest of Australia conducted by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, founded by Eric Schmidt, the former chairman of Google, and his wife, Wendy returned with stunning images to share.  Bill Broad of The New York Times wrote an in-depth story that featured the images and described some of the most important findings.

Why This Matters:  Aside from the many discoveries, such as 10 new species of fish, snails and sponges, the entire expedition was conducted remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic — which apparently is a global first, but is unlikely the last time that will happen.

• Politics

Look Folks, There Is Only One Choice For President in 2020 – Joe Biden

• 2020
• climate change
• conservation
• Election 2020
• environment
• Environmental Justice
• Joe Biden
• President

By Miro Korenha and Monica Medina When we launched Our Daily Planet over two years ago, we wanted to change the conversation about conservation and climate change – to make these issues a key part of the political and policy discussion so that they would finally be addressed. We firmly believed then and still do […]

• Sustainability

Ford Takes Comprehensive Approach To Sustainability, Will Be Carbon Neutral by 2050

• #cleancars
• carbon neutral
• climate change
• conservation
• electric vehicles
• environment
• EVs
• Ford
• recycling
• sustainability

In its annual Sustainability Report, Ford Motors made several key pledges in addition to the promise to be carbon neutral as a company by 2050.  In addition, they will use 100 percent locally sourced renewable energy for all manufacturing plants globally by 2035, aspire to achieve zero air emissions from our facilities, only use recycled and renewable plastics in our vehicles globally and eliminate single-use plastics from our operations by 2030, and achieve true zero waste to landfill across our operations, among other social responsibility commitments.

Why This Matters:  Other car companies have focused on products — Daimler Chrysler, VW, and Tesla come to mind.

• Land

Passage of Historic Conservation Bill Delayed; the Need To Conserve on Private Lands Grows

• #30x30
• conservation
• Great American Outdoors Act
• Land and Water Conservation Fund
• Race for Nature

The House was set to vote to pass the Great American Outdoors Act, which will provide nearly $1B annually for parks and other conservation, but a group of Western Republicans has raised procedural hurdles that will delay final passage until late July, The Hill reported yesterday.  And, a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) urges the United States to launch a major effort—a “Race for Nature” — to help the nation’s agricultural producers, who are facing a bleak economic future, by increasing opportunities to pay them for their conservation efforts.

Why This Matters:  As the CAP Report explains, “Family farmers and ranchers need lifelines…Bold and swift investment in nature conservation can provide one.”

• Sustainability

New Science on Carbon Capture Highlights Its Potential

• Antarctica
• carbon capture
• CO2
• conservation
• electrification
• green snow
• recycle
• science

New technology developed in Japan provides a much-needed breakthrough for capturing carbon released from a concentrated source like a thermal power plant and “recycling” it to create other gas fuels like methane, methanol, and gasoline.  And scientists from the U.K. have discovered that green algae known as “green snow” on the Antarctic Peninsula are a significant carbon sink for the continent, absorbing approximately 479 tons of carbon a year through photosynthesis.

Why This Matters: Carbon recycling will help reduce global warming by re-using the CO2, which would otherwise be let go into the atmosphere.

• People

One Holy See Thing: The Pope Urges All Catholics To Divest From Fossil Fuels

• #fossilfuels
• climate change
• conservation
• divest
• environment
• fossil fuels
• Pope

On the fifth anniversary of his historic encyclical “Laudato Si” in which Pope Francis urged Catholics to protect nature and warned of the dangers of failing to address climate change, the Vatican released a guide containing “practical steps” people can take to achieve the goals of the encyclical, including disinvesting from fossil fuel industries, according […]

• Politics

Climate Change Is Key To Turning Out Latino Voters

• climate change
• conservation
• Latinos
• voters

The vast majority of Latinos in the U.S. are very concerned or even alarmed about climate change and will vote for candidates with strong policies on global warming, which could make a difference in tightly contested states with large Latino populations like Arizona and Florida.   It could even put Texas in play for Democrats if […]

• Land

Confederate Monuments Must Go. Parks Must Be For Everyone.

• Atlanta
• Confederate Monuments
• conservation
• Decatur
• environment
• Environmental Justice
• Land and Water Conservation Fund
• Monuments
• parks
• Stone Mountain

By Monica Medina and Miro Korenha Monuments have been much in the news lately. In Decatur, Georgia on Thursday night, thanks to a Judge’s order, the county finally took down the Confederate Monument in the central square.  It is one of a few monuments to the Confederacy remaining in Atlanta.  State law protects them, unfortunately, […]

• Climate Change

Lyft Commits to 100% EVs by 2030

• clean air
• clean cars
• conservation
• emissions
• environment
• EVs
• Lyft
• Political Climate Podcast
• rideshare

By Julia Pyper, Co-Host Political Climate Podcast Rideshare service provider Lyft, with support from the Environmental Defense Fund, has announced a significant commitment to reach 100% electric vehicles on its platform by 2030. The company’s strategy includes purchasing EVs for its own rental fleet, as well as supporting a broader ecosystem of policies and best […]

• Land

Permanent Funding for Land and Water Conservation Close, Ocean Monument Order Draws Suit

• #30x30
• #ConservationLawFoundation
• #monumentsforall
• #NationalParks
• conservation
• Great American Outdoors Act
• monument
• parks

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass the Great American Outdoors Act and put $900m each year in perpetuity into the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which can be used to create, further protect, and expand federal, state, and local parks. In order to preserve the first fully protected area in the Atlantic Ocean, environmental groups yesterday challenged President Trump’s order opening up the NE Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing.

Why This Matters:  The public overwhelmingly supports conserving our most precious areas of historic importance and natural beauty.