Sustainability and Society – Page 5

Good News Friday 1/29/21

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Good News Friday! This week’s post is a little longer than usual to cover some of the environmental headlines coming out of the Biden administration that you might not have heard about yet.

Image Credit: Aaron Kittredge via pexels.com

President Biden’s Approach to Climate Change:

Increasing Fuel Efficiency Standards: One of President Biden’s first executive orders last week includes a clause directing U.S. agencies to review Trump-era fuel efficiency standards. The order comes as Mr. Biden has also pledged to replace the federal government’s entire fleet of vehicles (some 650,000 machines) with fully electric models. This pledge also supports the President’s proposal to add 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations around the nation.
Changing Regulatory Review: The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), a relatively unknown agency under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has a reputation for being a last resort for conservatives to shoot down progressive bills. This is because it is charged with reviewing draft regulations and has historically nixed or weakened any that do not pass its cost-benefit analysis—usually bills more related to social benefit than economic growth. This frequently includes environmental proposals. However, a memo from President Biden on January 20 could change this pattern by directing the OMB Director to modernize regulatory review. The goal is to provide suggestions on how “the regulatory review process can promote public health and safety, economic growth, social welfare, racial justice, environmental stewardship, human dignity, equity, and the interests of future generations.” This could change the bills the OIRA approves for years to come.
Connecting Climate Change and National Security: Mr. Biden is widely expected to bring back and strengthen former President Obama’s 2016 memorandum on climate change and national security. The directive makes climate change a matter of national security and instructs “Federal departments and agencies to perform certain functions to ensure that climate change-related impacts are fully considered in the development of national security doctrine, policies, and plans.”

Image Credit: Karolina Grabowska via pexels.com

2. Investors Acknowledge Climate Change: Laurence Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, Inc.—the largest asset manager in the world—is calling on companies and business leaders around the world to disclose their plans for a net-zero carbon economy. As a figurehead in an industry known for supporting fossil fuels, Mr. Fink’s message breaks from investment precedent. However, his status also gives him enormous power to block investment in companies that contradict his priorities. Only BlackRock’s investment decisions going forward will tell how deep Mr. Fink’s commitment to carbon neutrality goes.

Image Credit: Mohamed Abdelgaffar via pexels.com

3. Advances in Battery Storage: Australian energy company Lavo recently announced its Green Energy Storage System, the world’s first residential hydrogen battery backup system intended to store excess energy generated from residential solar panels. With nearly three times the capacity of Tesla’s Powerwall 2—but admittedly a much larger price tag—Lavo’s product represents a breakthrough in battery storage, which some see as a key technology in climate change mitigation.

That’s everything for this week! Come back next time for more good news. Until then, look at our previous Good News Friday editions and contact us if you have any good news you would like to share!

Good News Friday 1/22/21

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

We’re here again with some more good news this week! As we head back to campus or gear up for the new semester at home, we can all use a bit of environmental positivity. I hope that the following tidbits can provide some hopeful insights and inspiration to be mindful of our relationship with the planet this coming year.

Image Credit: mojzagrebinfo via pixabay.com

Climate campaign helps people cut carbon in 2021: Around this time of the year, many people are struggling to keep their new year’s resolutions. While most resolutions are focused on personal goals such as productivity or weight loss, the campaign “Cut a Tonne in ’21” encourages people to decrease their carbon footprint rather than (or in addition to) their waistline. The project is endorsed by the United Nations, and the web tool Giki Zero helps participants estimate their carbon footprint as well as gives actionable steps to reduce emissions over the course of the year.

Image Credit: cherylholt via pixabay.com

Climate efforts keep children healthy: According to a new study, a climate initiative in the Northeastern U.S. has been shown to have a positive impact on childrens’ health: the reduction in air pollutants has likely reduced rates of childhood asthma, autism cases, preterm births, and low birth weights. As a result, the researchers estimate that this reduction in health issues has saved between $191 million to $350 million. The benefits mostly come from reduced nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions, which react in the air to form harmful PM2.5 particles.

Image Credit: free-photos via pixabay.com

Bowhead whales make a comeback: According to a recent NOAA report, bowhead whale populations are rebounding to pre-commercial whaling numbers. These Arctic baleen whales were nearly hunted to extinction starting in the 1700s for their blubber, oil, and whalebone. However, the ban on whaling—in combination with habitat management—has allowed some populations to recover, making them one of the only successful conservation stories in the warming Arctic.

Thank you for reading this week’s summary of positive environmental updates. We wish everyone a relaxing break and we’ll see you next week for some more good news! Until then, feel free to get in touch if you want to share some Good News with us!

Good News Friday 1/8/21

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome to our first Good News Friday post of the new year! In the spirit of new beginnings, this issue focuses on legal and legislative issues that may have big implications for climate change mitigation efforts around the world this coming year.

Image of a Shell gas station at night. — *Image Credit:* Sergio Souza via pexels.com

Shell faces emissions lawsuit: Shell, a multinational oil company that provides 3% of the world’s energy, is facing a lawsuit from several Dutch environmental groups (Shell is headquartered in the Netherlands). The plaintiffs allege that the company, despite its pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, is failing to reach more ambitious climate goals set by the Paris Agreement, which the Netherlands is a signatory to. They argue that because of the location of the company’s headquarters, the oil giant is subject to Dutch emissions laws. The outcome of the lawsuit has significant implications for oil companies around the world: “If the judges rule against Shell in the new year… it will set a precedent that could leave oil and gas producers vulnerable to further lawsuits for their emissions abroad… [A] verdict against Shell could boost climate lawsuits against polluters across the world.”

Image of a pile of U.S. $100 bills. — *Image Credit:* John Guccione via pexels.com

2. The Fed joins climate-minded international bank network: The U.S. Federal Reserve Board recently announced that it is becoming a member of the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). The NGFS, established in 2017, aims to “[strengthen] the global response required to meet the goals of the Paris agreement and to enhance the role of the financial system to manage risks and to mobilize capital for green and low-carbon investments.” The Fed’s involvement in the group is largely seen as a shift in mentality by the “steward of the world’s largest economy,” acknowledging that the U.S. is ready to have a greater role in the global fight against climate change.

Aerial photo of a highway. — *Image Credit:* Aleksejs Bergmanis via pexels.com

3. A cap-and-trade program for Eastern states: 11 Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states, along with the District of Columbia, signaled their support last year to draft an “ambitious cap-and-trade program to curb tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks and other forms of transportation.” (To learn more about how cap-and-trade programs work, take a look at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions’ explanation). Last month, three states and Washington, D.C. formally agreed to adopt the finalized plan, while eight other states are considering joining at a future date. The plan is estimated to affect approximately one-fifth of the U.S. population if all 11 states sign on and is expected to begin in 2023. If successful, the plan has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector (currently the largest national emissions contributor).

That’s all for this week! Keep an eye out for more more news next Friday, and, until then, feel free to get in touch if you want to share some Good News with us!

Environmental Justice: A Look at the World

Research and Graphics by Marissa Mejia ‘23

While previous posts have examined environmental racism on a local and national level, this post will take a look at examples of environmental racism on a global scale, particularly as it pertains to climate colonialism, the Paris Agreement, and carbon offsets. According to sociologist Doreen Martinez, Climate Colonialism is “the domination of less-powerful countries and people through initiatives meant to slow the pace of global warming¹.” As we’ll see below, climate colonialism can manifest in unexpected ways, hidden within policies meant to protect the environment and promote developmental equity.

The Paris agreement has been a key initiative to address climate justice because it acknowledges the impacts of climate change on human rights: the rights of indigenous peoples, migrants, and others in vulnerable situations, the right to development, and the right to intergenerational equity². The Agreement also calls for net reductions in carbon emissions and has catalyzed a significant increase in carbon offsets purchases, which reduce net carbon emissions by funding activities that compensate for greenhouse emissions, such as the deployment of carbon sequestration technology and the planting of trees³. In fact, within the last five years, over two million Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) have been purchased as a result of this international environmental policy⁴.

However, although carbon offsets can effectively reduce net carbon emissions, they actually perpetuate environmental injustice as the majority of the land purchased for carbon offsets is inhabited by indigenous peoples who are evicted by powerful institutions under the Paris Agreement. For example, Norwegian companies buying and conserving forestland for carbon offsets in East Africa have forcefully evicted thousands of Ugandans, Mozambicans, and Tanzanians, exacerbating home, health, and food insecurity¹. This side effect of the Paris Agreement is a distressing example of climate colonialism in action. According to Rosemary Lyster, “Given all of the frailties of the Agreement… the Parties have a long way to go in subsequent negotiations before the imperatives of Climate Justice are satisfied².”

So what can we do to mitigate the perpetuation of inequality through environmental policy? Rather than relying on carbon offsets, we can reduce emissions through personal choices and lifestyle changes. Some examples include reducing meat consumption, using reusables, avoiding flying, buying clothes secondhand, and investing in clean energy. It is also beneficial to support international environmental justice organizations such as Natural Justice and Friends of the Earth⁵. When we see deficiencies in global policy, we should call for accountability at a political level, but we can also counter by enacting change at a personal level.

Sources

1) https://slate.com/technology/2019/03/green-new-deal-climate-colonialism-energy-land.html

2) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644016.2017.1287626?casa_token=6YP6SNXvT6UAAAAA%3AVZoLDpI512YbkZobc1qhAbb5_gyMwCr_mb8TEwwTF9vfaEa8oNXFrdUvPt66sIJWFBpSdtsAi-_r

3) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon%20offset

4) https://unfccc.int/news/un-carbon-offset-platform-reaches-2-million-cers-milestone

5) .humanrightscareers.com/magazine/20-international-ngos-defending-environmental-rights/

Environmental Justice: A National Perspective

Research and Graphics by Saran Toure ‘22

Edited by Wesley Wiggins ‘21

The previous post discussed environmental justice through the lens of local New Jersey policy. This post zooms out to look at how the United States government and other national organizations have addressed Environmental Justice (EJ) issues. The two main pieces of federal legislation addressing EJ are the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Executive Order (E.O.) 12898

NEPA was signed into law on January 1^st, 1970, and requires agencies to go through an evaluation process to determine the environmental, social, and economic impacts of their actions and involve affected communities in the evaluation². This act specifically calls for the federal government to prepare Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and Environmental Assessments (EA) which look at federal legislation and projects to evaluate the environmental impacts and potential alternatives and solutions to harmful impacts. Citizens can participate in these assessments during the scoping process through public meetings, workshops, hearings, and other means¹.

This act is bolstered by E.O. 12898 which was ordered by former President Bill Clinton on February 16^th, 1994. This act is also addressed as “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations”⁵. The purpose of the executive order was to focus more attention on environmental and health conditions that resulted from federal actions to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all communities. This order directs federal agencies to make a plan to address environmental injustice, promote non-discrimination in federal health and environmental programs, and provide information and participation opportunities to low-income and marginalized communities⁵.

Though these policies have done a lot for communities since they have been enacted⁴, there is still a lot more work that can be done on the national level to improve conditions for communities affected by environmental racism. There is also a lot that can be done by individuals to hold the government accountable like learning about the environmental impacts of federal agencies, participating in the NEPA process for your community, and voting in local and federal elections to protect and improve laws. Additionally, you can support national environmental justice agencies like Earth Justice⁶ and Protect NEPA⁴.

Sources:

“How Citizens Can Comment and Participate in the National Environmental Policy Act Process.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. February 6, 2017. https://www.epa.gov/nepa/how-citizens-can-comment-and-participate-national-environmental-policy-act-process
“What is the National Environmental Policy Act?” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. September 17, 2020. https://www.epa.gov/nepa/what-national-environmental-policy-act
“Environmental Justice Timeline.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. June 2, 2017. https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-timeline
“Environmental Justice” Protect NEPA. Accessed November 28, 2020. https://protectnepa.org/environmental-justice/
“Summary of Executive Order 12898 – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. July 23, 2020. https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-executive-order-12898-federal-actions-address-environmental-justice
“The Trump Administration Wants to Undo the People’s Environmental Law.” Earthjustice. August 31, 2020. https://earthjustice.org/features/nepa

Environmental Justice: Starting Locally in New Jersey

Research and Graphics by Lazarena Lazarova ‘21

Edited by Christopher Lugo ‘22

Environmental Justice (EJ) has come to be understood as a fundamental component of any comprehensive response to the environmental challenges of our contemporary moment. With the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, it has been foregrounded in conversations about racial justice and other issues around which activists center their work. New Jersey, in particular, has become one of the first state governments to address the needs of marginalized communities and implement environmental justice through legislation.

Before diving in, let’s touch briefly on the concept of environmental justice. What is it exactly, and how can we practice it? According to Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice, a multiracial grassroots organization, EJ is defined as “the values, rules, regulations, behaviors, policies, and decisions that support sustainability, where all people can hold with confidence that their community and natural environment is safe and productive”¹.

New Jersey has taken promising but preliminary steps towards realizing that goal. One bill that was passed by the legislature into New Jersey state law on August 27, 2020 expands the purview of the Department of Environmental Protection. The effects of any proposed projects seeking a permit from the department on “overburdened communities” would have to be considered before the project could go forward. The bill defines “overburdened communities” as those with at least 50% of residents being low-income and 40% of residents being racial minorities or having limited English proficiency. Power plants and waste facilities like landfills and sewage treatment plants would have to reckon with the impact they impose on nearby overburdened communities. New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance has expressed support for the bill^2,3.

In addition to this most recent effort, the legislature has passed reforms to the state’s learning standards, requiring all students to learn about climate change and the science behind it. There is hope that a more robust education in climate science will raise a generation of leaders and organizers who are both well-informed on the issue of climate change and acknowledge the urgency with which it must be addressed⁴. There is plenty our generation can do here and now, too. Volunteer with organizations like the Environmental Justice Alliance, lobby your local government to research and implement a climate action plan, and educate yourself on the links between racial justice and environmental justice.

Sources:

“Environmental Justice & Environmental Racism”. Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice. http://greenaction.org/what-is-environmental-justice/
Warren, Michael Sol.“Landmark bill to protect poor communities from pollution just passed N.J. Legislature”. Nj.com – True New Jersey. August 28, 2020. https://www.nj.com/news/2020/08/landmark-bill-to-protect-poor-communities-from-pollution-just-passed-nj-legislature.html
Warren, Michael Sol and Brent Johnson. “Murphy backs plan to protect N.J. low-income communities from more pollution”. Nj.com – True New Jersey. June 19, 2020. https://www.nj.com/politics/2020/06/murphy-backs-plan-to-protect-nj-low-income-communities-from-more-pollution.html
White, Kimberly. “New Jersey Becomes First U.S. State to Require Schools to Teach Climate Change”. Planetary Press. June 17, 2020. https://www.theplanetarypress.com/2020/06/new-jersey-becomes-first-u-s-state-to-require-schools-to-teach-climate-change/#:~:text=The%20newly%20adopted%20guidelines%20make,educators%20over%20the%20past%20year

Good News Friday 12/11/20

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome to our post-Dean’s Date Good News Friday! If finals are making things seem a little bleak, here’s some positive news to get you through the week:

*Image Credit: Princeton University Facilities Organization via* *sustain.princeton.edu*

1. Princeton University Expands Solar Power: In April 2019, Princeton released a Sustainability Action Plan with the goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2046. This week, the university came one step closer to that goal by announcing it would install eight new solar array projects. These panels are in addition to the solar field near campus that has been in operation for nearly a decade. The new projects are expected to triple the generating capacity of Princeton University’s solar farms from 5.5% to 19% of campus electricity use.

*Image Credit: Jeremy Bishop via* *Pexels.com*

2. Scientists Regrow Coral Reefs: Members of the organization Raising Coral Costa Rica are using coral samples to reconstruct damaged reefs. By breaking off coral samples, growing them in a nursery, and then reintroducing them into their natural environment, the scientists can study how corals can be more resistant to climate change while simultaneously reconstructing depleted reefs.

*Image Credit: JDS Architects via* *UN-Habitat*

3. Building Homes From Recycled Plastic: United Nations-Habitat has partnered with the startup company Othalo to build houses from recycled plastic waste in Kenya. The project aims to quickly and sustainably help solve Kenya’s permanent housing deficit. The first factory to produce building materials for the homes is expected to open next year.

That’s all for this week! Join us next time for another roundup of good news. Until then, take a look at our previous Good News Friday editions and contact us if you have any good news you would like to share!

Good News Friday 12/4/20

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

Welcome to our first Good News Friday of December! As we head into reading period and finals, let’s take some time to appreciate all the positive environmental developments that have been happening recently. Here are three hopeful bits of good news to kick off the holiday (and exam) season:

Image credit: photoshopper24 via pixabay.com

Environmental Activists Recognized: The Goldman Environmental Prize (aka the “Green Nobel Prize”) honors six grassroots environmental activists, one from each (populated) continental region of the world. This year’s winners include: an Indigenous Karen activist from Myanmar who worked to establish the world’s first peace park in an active conflict zone, an Indigenous Mayan beekeeper who spearheaded a coalition to ban Monsanto soy beans in seven Mexican states, a French climate activist who pressured France’s three largest banks to stop supporting coal development, a youth activism leader who brought about a ban on single-use plastics in the Bahamas, an Indigenous Waorani woman who enacted legal action to stop oil extraction in a huge plot of the Amazon rainforest, and an activist who changed the trajectory of Ghana’s energy future. Read more about their inspiring stories here.

Unlimited Geothermal Energy Startup: Eavor, a promising geothermal energy startup, has developed an innovative yet simple system, dubbed the Eavor-Loop, which harvests heat from deep in the earth to be used for commercial heating applications or to generate electricity. While conventional geothermal plants drill straight down into the earth, the Eavor-Loop consists of a pressurised self-contained loop where cold water is constantly heated underground and the heat is extracted at the surface. The system is essentially self-powered due to convection, and Eavor predicts it will be able to provide gigawatts of dispatchable energy anywhere in the world for less than $50/MWh by the end of the decade, making its technology cost-competitive with natural gas and coal.

Lab-Grown Chicken Nuggets for Sale: For the first time ever, cultured meat grown in a bioreactor has been approved for sale. The “chicken bites,” produced by the U.S. company Eat Just, recently passed the safety review of the Singapore Food Agency. As of now, the lab-grown alternative is much more expensive than conventional meat, but Eat Just predicts that it will eventually be cheaper when production is scaled up. According to some scientists, cutting meat and dairy consumption is the single biggest action a person can take to reduce their impact on the environment, so this new development is a huge win for sustainable food production.

That’s it for this week! Tune in next time for more encouraging environmental news. If you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Good News Friday 11/27/20

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome again to our Good News Friday series! I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving (maybe even including some of our Sustainable Meals for Busy Students recipes!). In the same positive holiday spirit, here are our top three uplifting pieces of environmental news for this week:

Global growth in renewable energy: A recent report published by the International Energy Agency predicts a 4% increase in installed renewable energy capacity this year, with renewables accounting for approximately 90% of 2020’s total power capacity growth. This comes at the same time that many investors have started redirecting funds into sustainable energy and away from fossil fuels, which could spur further growth in the renewable energy sector.

Image Credit: Chad Russell via Pexels.com

2. Germany supports electric vehicles: Earlier this month, Germany’s Economy Ministry agreed to provide €2 billion ($2.33 billion) in aid funds to its auto industry to support “a switch to greener engines and automated driving.” This is especially important in light of the country’s hopes to cut emissions by approximately 50% compared to 1990 levels by 2030.

*Image Credit:* United States Geological Survey

3. Legal win for the Alaskan tundra: The debate over a controversial, proposed copper and gold mine in Alaska, which would have been one of the world’s largest mines for such materials, appears to have finally been settled after the Army Corps of Engineers denied the project a critical permit. Declared “contrary to the public interest,” the Pebble Mine would have threatened salmon breeding grounds. It has long been opposed by Alaskan Native Americans, environmentalists, and the fishing industry. The NRDC, for example, praised the decision, with its senior attorney Joel Reynolds stating, “Amen to certainty for this cherished area, the tribes and community of Bristol Bay, and its wildlife and waters… this move recognizes there was never any way to mitigate the harm Pebble Mine would do.”

There’s always positive environmental news somewhere if you dig a little. Join us next week for another Good News Friday, and until then, check out our past editions and contact us if you have any good news you would like to share!

Good News Friday 11/20/20

Author: Grace Liu ’23

Welcome back to Good News Friday! I hope you’re ready to read some positive picks from recent environmental updates. This week, we’re happy to hear about Japan’s commitment to carbon-neutrality, rebounding bee populations, and an initiative to save coral reefs.

Japan joins carbon-neutrality: During his first major policy speech, Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, committed the country to carbon neutrality by 2050. Japan is currently the world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and the announcement comes just weeks after China, Japan’s regional rival, said it would reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2060.

According to Mr. Suga, “There’s no question that having to make such a drastic change in the extremely short period of just 30 years is very difficult.” But, he adds, “I’m optimistic.”

2. Bring back the bees: The latest bee colony report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows a 14% growth in bee colony numbers across the nation. Some states report an even more substantial increase. For example, Maine recorded a surprising 73% growth in bee colonies in the past two years. However, some native bee populations are still in decline, so the next step is to figure out how we can protect both honeybees and native bees.

Image credit: Francesco Ungaro via pexels.com

3. Scientists save coral reefs: Scientists with Raising Coral Costa Rica have been cultivating an underwater nursery for corals by snapping off coral pieces from existing reefs. This nursery helps the team test techniques to grow coral and restore ancient reefs in Golfo Dulce, southwestern Costa Rica. While the research helps revive local ecosystems, the group hopes to restore reefs in neighboring countries as well. According to scientist and diver Joanie Kleypas, “It’s exhausting but we’re rewarded with the fact that the corals want to grow … As long as they don’t give up, we won’t.”

I hope you enjoyed our selections this week! Please remember that there are always good things happening in the sustainability sphere if you know where to look. If you’d like to share some Good News with us, submit an article by contacting us.