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Superfund Sites Vulnerable to Climate Change

Looking at the 1,571 Superfund sites at least 945 of them are in areas that scientists have identified as at greater risk of floods, storm surge from major hurricanes, wildfires or sea level rise of 3 feet or more according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Click here for full report.

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Northern California Goes Dark

On Wednesday, October 9, PG&E shut off power for over 800,000 customers in Northern California. As California’s wildfire season rages on, the electrical company has decided to shut off all power to prevent the spark of another wildfire caused by equipment malfunctions. Opinions are varied by the company’s decision to blackout 34 counties. The power outages were preempted by last year’s Camp Fires that destroyed nearly 14,000 homes and took 85 lives. However, customers with medical conditions that require consistent sources to electricity are concerned about how long the power outages will last. Read More.

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Talking to Children About Climate Change

September marked a month of climate change discussions and activism from younger generations across the world. In the wake of the hundreds of student organized protests that took place at then end of the month, professional psychiatrists are encouraging parents to have honest conversations with their children about their fears connected with climate change. Health professionals are advising parents to discuss the problems associated with warming temperatures, the solutions groups are currently working on, and potential changes families can implement in their own homes to reduce their carbon footprint. Read More.

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Wildfires in the west and their increasing impact of human health

The NRDC has released a report examining data on the growing increase of wildfires in the 11 states and the impact those fires have on human health. It was found that wildfires cause more than $2 billion in health costs and hundreds of premature deaths from asthma and heart attacks.  The smoke caused by wildfires has the capacity to spread far greater than the location of the fire and spread pollutants such as particulate matter, ozone precursors, and carbon monoxide. Wildfires and their associated health impacts are becoming more problematic as climate temperatures continue to rise and drought seasons lengthen in the eastern and western sides of the country. Read More.

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Climate Strikes Continue

Today marks the second Friday of the Youth Climate Strikes that are taking place in over 150 countries worldwide. Students across Virginia have gathered in Richmond to join in and participate, along with the millions of other individuals across the globe, in speaking out against climate change and the need for immediate political action. Read More.

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Youth Climate Leader Sends Powerful Message: How Dare You!

On September 20th more than 4 million people around the world took to the streets to join the global climate strike movement. People of all ages from across the globe came together to share a message: The planet is in a climate emergency, and we will not sit by and do nothing. A recap of many of these strikes was put together by the Earth Day Network: “Change is coming, whether they like it or not:” Youth climate strikes break records worldwide
On Saturday September 21st, the United Nations hosted its first-ever Youth Climate Summit in New York City bringing together hundreds of youth climate leaders from around the world to discuss climate solutions for the future. The Earth Day Network prepared a summary of this event and included several notable quotes. “Change rarely happens from the top down,” climate activist Bruno Rodriguez said at the summit. “It happens when millions of people demand change.”  Youth student climate leader Greta Thunberg from Sweden said, “Together and united, we are unstoppable. This is what people power looks like. We will rise to the challenge.”
The Summit was part of a weekend of events leading up to the U.N. Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit on Monday September 23rd. The summit was a call to action in the face of the worsening climate crisis. On its website, the UN defined climate change as the “defining issue of our time and now is the defining moment to do something about it.”
Leaders from 65 counties attended the summit and more than 100 business leaders were there. The UN prepared a summary of the commitments and actions taken by the attendees. In closing the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said “You have delivered a boost in momentum, cooperation and ambition. But we have a long way to go.”
Youth leaders urged action not more promises.
Perhaps the most powerful statement at the summit was delivered by youth activist Greta Thunberg.
  “The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, we will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now, is where we draw the line.”
Listen to Greta’s full statement here.

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The United Nations meets to discuss the future on climate change

On Friday, millions of individuals stopped work in schools and offices to take to the streets to participate in the worldwide Youth Climate Strike. Youths across the world voiced their concerns of rising global temperatures and increased health effects in an effort to demand action from global political leaders. Today these leaders have gathered in New York at the Climate Action Summit to discuss what steps need to be taken to lower global greenhouse emissions and stall further climate change destruction. Read More.

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CHEJ Joins Falls Church Climate March

Just down the street from CHEJ’s headquarters was our local Falls Church City Climate march. Over one hundred people joined others across the globe to speak up and out about the urgency of really addressing our climate crisis.
Today is the Global Climate Strike, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. As people took to the streets in Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia, we host a roundtable discussion with youth activists organizing marches in the United States — in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis — ahead of next week’s U.N. Climate Action Summit. We are joined by Xiye Bastida, a 17-year-old climate justice activist originally from Mexico who is an organizer with Fridays for Future New York and a student at Beacon High School in New York; Katie Eder, a 19-year-old climate justice activist who founded the Future Coalition, where she is currently the executive director; Juwaria Jama, a 15-year-old and first-generation Somali from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is with U.S. Youth Climate Strikes and is the co-state lead for the Minnesota Youth Climate Strike; and Isra Hirsi, a high school junior and executive director of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike, daughter of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar.

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Oil lobbyist brags about criminalizing gas and oil pipeline protests

Derrick Morgan, senior vice president for federal and regulatory affairs for oil lobby group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFRM), bragged about how successful the industry has been in pushing anti-protest legislation, as heard in leaked audio obtained by The Intercept. What kind of protests are we talking about? In this case, pipeline protests. And as more states are passing laws to criminalize these protests, this boasting is nothing to brush off. Read more.

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Climate change poses greatest risk for children’s health in Ohio

The Ohio Environmental Council released a report Thursday, August 22 addressing Ohio’s children at the greatest risk to climate change. As wild fires rage on in the Amazon and carbon dioxide levels cause climate temperatures to rise, the OEC has voiced concern for asthma and allergy problems, water contamination, and dangerous algae blooms <Read More>.