Fixing poor ventilation in classrooms may slow the spread of COVID-19 when children and teachers return, and create new job opportunities. AB 841, introduced by Assmblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco, is unique in that it focuses on those most in need of these critical upgrades and jobs. The bill will address schools in low-income areas first, which have long been underfunded, under-resourced and have the highest need for improvements. These efficiency improvements will save schools money, allowing more funds to go toward supplies for students instead of utility bills. Read more.
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Author: CHEJ Intern
The EPA wants to add Pioneer Metal Finishing Inc. in Franklin Township, Gloucester County, to the Superfund list because soil or sediment near the facility and a neighboring wetland is contaminated with chromium, copper, and nickel at levels that pose a threat to human health and the environment. Read more.
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The City Council of Arlington, Texas has taken a historic stand by refusing to expand a fracking complex located next to a preschool that serves primarily Black and Latino children. Ranjana Bhandari, founder of the environmental advocacy group Liveable Arlington, joins Host Steve Curwood to talk about the city council’s groundbreaking decision. Read more.
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The North.Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has denied two permit applications for Carolina Sunrock, LLC in Caswell County and is canceling the public hearing scheduled for September 10. Read more.
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Wildfires are burning from California to Minnesota, leaving millions of people to cough and wheeze through the toxic air. Gathering indoors brings the risk of coronavirus. Is there no respite? Read more.
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Just after passing resolutions to elevate the needs of Black and Hispanic residents, the Arlington City Council took an unusual stand on drilling. Read more.
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While residents have just recently learned of the chemicals, 3M has known about the hazards they pose and their presence in local soil and water for decades. Read more.
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LAKE CHARLES – A chemical leak has apparently been reported in Lake Charles, according to reporters in the city covering the aftermath of Laura. Read more.
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The state of Michigan is expected to pay about $600 million to victims of the Flint water crisis, according to two people with knowledge of a major settlement that is set to be announced this week.
The money would largely be designated for children in Flint who were poisoned by lead-tainted tap water after officials changed the city’s water supply six years ago, setting off a crisis that drew national attention and remains a worry for many residents. Read more.
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By: Sharon Franklin
Children play near an oil refinery in Los Angeles, California. Photo Credit: Etienne Laurent / EPA
Dr. Jake M. Robinson PhD Researcher, Department of Landscape, University of Sheffiel, South Yorkshire, England recently published an article in The Conversation entitled “How Racism and Classism Affect Natural Ecosystems”.
In the article, Dr. Robinson cited a recent publication in Science Magazine by Christopher J. Schell of the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, “The Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Systemic Racism In Urban Environments” , which reports the conscious and unconscious systemic biases and stereotypes contribute to shaping institutional policies that drive and exacerbate racist and classist structures in urban systems (e.g., law enforcement, residential segregation, and gentrification).
Dr. Schell explained the urban ecosystems are made up of lots of complex interactions that is evident in many cities around the world, where environmental injustice has been dictated by structural racism such as racial segregation in US cities. He further states that urban social inequality stems from historical and contemporary power imbalances, producing effects that are often intersectional, involving race, economic class, gender, language, sexuality, nationality, ability, religion, and age. These types of social inequalities risk the cultivation of future stewards of our planet, or the next generation of biodiversity protectors. Dr. Schell concludes that because of these kinds of factors “The decisions we make now will dictate our environmental reality for centuries to come.” “Two timely examples include the Green New Deal proposal and Paris climate agreement.”