"How U.S. Farms Could Start a Bird Flu Pandemic"
"The virus is poised to become a permanent presence in cattle, raising the odds of an eventual outbreak among people."
Source: NYTimes, 08/22/2024
EJToday: Top Headlines
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"Harris Goes Light on Climate Policy. Green Leaders Are OK With That."
"President Biden made climate change a cornerstone of his agenda. Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to detail her own plan."
Source: NYTimes, 08/22/2024"Trump Vows To Ax Power Plant Rule"
"The former president assailed Vice President Kamala Harris for her views on fracking and power plant emissions as he vowed to cut energy costs in half in his first year in office."
Source: E&E News, 08/22/2024"La. Advocate Leading Fight Against Ammonia Plant: ‘I Already Feel Ignored’"
"It wasn’t Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh’s intention to become a community leader when she moved back to her hometown of St. Rose, Louisiana in 2017. But it’s the role she felt she had to take when she learned a petrochemical company had plans to build a $4.6 billion blue ammonia plant in her predominantly Black community."
Source: Floodlight, 08/22/2024"TotalEnergies’ Ad Found ‘Misleading’ Over Sustainability Claim"
"A South African advertising regulator found TotalEnergies SE made a “misleading” claim over its commitment to sustainable development, marking the first time a challenge of this kind has been made in the country."
Source: Bloomberg Green, 08/22/2024Oil Firms And Dark Money Fund Push By GOP States To Block Climate Laws
"A powerful group that boasts 28 Republican attorneys general, including many who have sided with oil and gas firms to block states seeking compensation for weather disasters caused by climate change, has raked in millions of dollars from fossil fuel giants and a dark money fund tied to Federalist Society co-chair, Leonard Leo."
Source: Guardian, 08/22/2024"Calif. Legislators Say New Laws Must Protect Farmworkers From Extreme Heat"
"State lawmakers, responding to a report that the agency charged with ensuring worker safety in California has sharply cut back on enforcement of outdoor heat protection laws, said new legislation is needed to protect employees amid escalating periods of extreme heat."
Source: LA Times, 08/22/2024"Heat, Fires, Floods — Extreme Weather Has Affected 99% Of Americans"
"Extreme weather alerts for dangerous heat, wildfires, storms, flooding and other hazards have affected nearly everyone in the United States over the past few months."
Source: LA Times, 08/22/2024"US Must Do More To Protect Species From Gulf Of Mexico Drilling: Judge"
"A U.S. judge at the urging of environmental groups has thrown out an assessment by a federal agency governing how endangered and threatened marine species should be protected from oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico."
Source: Reuters, 08/22/2024Microplastics Are Infiltrating Brain Tissue, Human Organs, Studies Show
"Twenty-four brain samples collected in early 2024 measured on average about 0.5% plastic by weight"
"A growing body of scientific evidence shows that microplastics are accumulating in critical human organs, including the brain, leading researchers to call for more urgent actions to rein in plastic pollution.
Studies have detected tiny shards and specks of plastics in human lungs, placentas, reproductive organs, livers, kidneys, knee and elbow joints, blood vessels and bone marrow.
Source: Guardian, 08/22/2024"More Than 4 Billion People Don’t Have Access To Clean Water At Home"
"New analyses reveal that 4.4 billion people across low- and middle-income countries — over half of the world’s population — don’t have safe household drinking water."
Source: Vox, 08/21/2024"2024 Democratic Platform Emphasizes Economic Case For Climate Action"
"The 2024 Democratic Party platform makes a case for action against climate change as economic populism, a sharp contrast to Republican arguments that it would hurt the middle class."
Source: The Hill, 08/21/2024Groups Say They’re Shut Out Of Plastics Treaty Talks In Bangkok
"Experts meet in Bangkok this week to advance what would be the first international treaty to tackle the surging problem of plastic pollution. Final treaty negotiations take place in South Korea in November. Yet most of the people who have been closely tracking the negotiations — environmentalists, tribal leaders and residents from communities hard-hit by plastic production and waste — are shut out of the talks in Bangkok."
Source: AP, 08/21/2024FDA Lets Companies Self-Police If Recycled Plastic Is Safe For Food Contact
"Recycled plastic can be more toxic than virgin plastic, yet the federal approval process to use it in food packaging is lax and leaving consumers at risk, researchers say."
Source: EHN, 08/21/2024"Pressure Mounts On Methane-Polluting Oregon Landfill To Clean Up Its Act"
"Nearby residents have been sounding the alarm about Coffin Butte Landfill for years. Now Sen. Jeff Merkley and other members of Congress are demanding action."
Source: Canary Media, 08/21/2024
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