By Mihir Vohra, Research Associate In the fight to end our reliance on fossil fuels, most of the focus has been on the dangers of carbon dioxide emissions, but other emissions are harmful as well. Particulate matter (PM) is a type of air pollution made up of a mixture of dust, chemicals, and liquid droplets and gets released into the air through fossil fuel combustion. When inhaled, PM enters the lungs and bloodstream, exacerbating existing respiratory tract illnesses and causing lung disease, heart disease, and lung cancer. Very small PM

By: Benjamin Silver, Science and Technology Intern I never imagined that a five-gigabyte software on my laptop could contain an approach to fighting environmental injustice. The keys lie somewhere between map frames and advanced geostatistical interpolations. Before interning at CHEJ, I had an incomplete understanding of environmental justice. I pictured the field solely as activists and victims opposing corporate polluters. Although I understood that research supports these organizing efforts, I never considered methods that scientists adopt to evaluate ecological data. One of these methods is GIS (geographic information systems), a

By: Leija Helling, Organizing Intern Today marks the inauguration of Joe Biden as our president and there is work to be done. Across the country, groups are coming together in an effort to push the incoming administration on progressive policies. We must continue to demand better from our government and, unlike over the past four years, we are soon to have a White House that just might listen. Throughout the past few months, part of my work at CHEJ has included contributing to our Unequal Response Unequal Protection campaign, a

By: Gustavo Andrade, Organizing Director After the horrific display of violence and hatred in Washington, DC last week, we must unite to uphold our most basic common values of democracy and safety for all. We fully support the bi-partisan efforts to impeach, convict and remove this president. There is no place for white nationalism in a just society, no “middle ground” between fascism and fairness and no excuses for violence and murder. We must focus on holding all those involved in the failed insurrection fully accountable, while also moving forward

By Mihir Vohra, Research Associate For over 40 years, the Navajo Generating Station (NGS), located on Navajo nation land near Page, AZ, was the largest coal plant in the American West. The NGS and the coal mine that fed it shut down in 2019, and on December 18th, 2020 its three smokestacks were finally demolished. Air pollution from coal plants is associated with higher risks for asthma, cancer, heart and lung diseases, and neurological dysfunction. The burden of these facilities disproportionately affects poor and minority communities. A 2012 report from