Category «Environmental Law»

UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat

“The UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat brings together the diverse expertise and perspectives of ten specialized UN entities (FAO, ILO, OCHA, UNDRR, UNEP, UNESCO, UN-Habitat, UNICEF, WHO, WMO) in a first-of-its-kind joint product, underscoring the multi-sectoral impacts of extreme heat. Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere. Billions of …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Health Care

Here’s how extreme climate is driving inflation

“TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In today’s Climate Classroom, we will be speaking to William S. Becker, a writer for The Hill, a Nexstar-owned property on climate inflation, better known by its new name “climateflation.” No doubt it’s a new term to most, but it’s very real and it’s already hitting us in the wallet— think …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Housing

The world’s most, and least, walkable cities

The Economist [unpaywalled]: “Cars can be a nuisance. Just ask anyone stuck on London’s M25 motorway or Houston’s Katy Freeway. More cars create more polluting traffic jams, and the amount of space needed to drive them, park them and re-fuel them could be used for more pleasant purposes, such as parks and recreational areas. It …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Health Care, Transportation

Warren Leads Senate Response to End of Chevron Doctrine

Truthout: “A group of senators led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) has introduced a bill to combat the Supreme Court’s seismic pro-corporate decision last month to overturn a precedent known as Chevron deference that has enabled federal agencies to issue regulations for decades. Ten senators joined Warren on Tuesday in introducing the bill that would …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Education, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

We mapped weather forecast accuracy across the U.S. Look up your city.

[unpaywalled] “Everyone complains about the weather forecast, but some people have more cause to grumble than others. In Miami, the temperature forecast is usually accurate a week into the future. But in Paonia, Colo., even the one-day temperature forecast is wrong by almost 6 degrees Fahrenheit on average. That’s according to our analysis of government …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Health Care, Transportation

Hundreds of racist plant names will change after historic vote by botanists

Nature: “For the first time, researchers have voted to eliminate scientific names of organisms because they are offensive. Botanists decided that more than 200 plants, fungi and algae species names should no longer contain a racial slur related to the word caffra, which is used against Black people and others mostly in southern Africa. Many …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Environmental Law, Knowledge Management

UNESCO raises global alarm on the rapid degradation of soils

“UNESCO is warning that 90% of the planet’s land surface could be degraded by 2050, with major risks for biodiversity and human life. At an international conference in Agadir (Morocco), Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, appealed to the Organization’s 194 Member States to improve soil protection and rehabilitation. UNESCO is also undertaking a number of …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law

The Fraud of Plastic Recycling

Center for Climate Integrity – “Underpinning the plastic waste crisis is a campaign of fraud and deception that fossil fuel and other petrochemical companies have created and perpetuated for decades. Through new and existing research, “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling” shows how Big Oil and the plastics industry have deceptively promoted recycling as a solution …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Legal Research

The MAGA Plan to End Free Weather Reports

The Atlantic [unpaywalled]: “In the United States, as in most other countries, weather forecasts are a freely accessible government amenity. The National Weather Service issues alerts and predictions, warning of hurricanes and excessive heat and rainfall, all at the total cost to American taxpayers of roughly $4 per person per year. Anyone with a TV, …

Subjects: Climate Change, E-Government, Environmental Law

Millions of Americans are stranded on “heat islands”

Axios: “Millions of Americans live in parts of cities where the “urban heat island” effect can significantly increase temperatures, especially during heat waves, per a new analysis by nonprofit climate research group Climate Central. Why it matters: Heat islands — wherein heat is trapped by heat-absorbing surfaces and structures — can make cities less livable …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Health Care

Climate Zones

The Pudding – Visualization: How will your city feel in the future – “This project looks at 70 global cities, and tracks their classification from present day to 2070. And with climate change, your city isn’t just getting hotter: it will resemble the distinctive climate of completely different places…A 2018 study, led by climatologist Hylke …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Health Care, Housing