Posts posted by @insideclimate

Guillermo Fernandez started a hunger strike in Switzerland’s Federal Square, saying he wouldn’t eat again until the Swiss Federal Assembly agreed to a climate science briefing. As COP26 proceeded, and then closed, he lost weight—and hope. t.co/0TovhQ2yQi

Closed mouths don’t get fed, but when it comes to hunger strikes by climate activists, they speak volumes. While some public self-starvation instances have spurred change, others argue that there must be a better way to influence environmental policy. t.co/0TovhPKXYK

The EPA added a Texas superfund site to their National Priorities List in 2018, a registry of the nation’s most serious abandoned hazardous waste sites. But most nearby residents knew nothing about the Superfund site or the ongoing health threat. t.co/6gtQhooNKD

By giving nature legal rights, can humans begin to change direction toward a more sustainable future? One novel lawsuit from the White Earth Band of Ojibwe that lists wild rice as the plaintiff could set a precedent for establishing the rights of nature. t.co/BBZEIwwCwR

“When you’re paid $2 for a box of strawberries, you work hard and fast, even at the cost of your own safety.” Living paycheck to paycheck, California farmworkers at the mercy of extreme heat and wildfire smoke face amplified risks. t.co/xxqRJFNwiE

In warming Arctic waters, fog and thinning sea ice threatens polar bears and the scientists studying them. The conditions, driven by climate change, make it harder for polar bears to find food, and harder for scientists to find polar bears. t.co/znsazO5sn0

Reduce, reuse ... incinerate? In Baltimore—a city aspiring to a “zero waste” future—only 2.1 percent of its residential plastic gets recycled, a new report found. About half is incinerated, releasing heavy metals and various greenhouse gases. t.co/8AvbLmA9oW

Compounding threats and coastline losses threaten Louisiana post Hurricane Ida. The state has spent billions of dollars on hurricane defenses, but with costly restoration and protection projects still underway, officials grapple with future plans. t.co/8Z0BqSGLOe

Activist Berta Isabel Cáceres’s lifesaving work in Honduras couldn’t save her own. Cáceres fought the Agua Zarca Dam in Honduras, advocating for the Lenca tribe’s way of life. t.co/iWYSD91Lq0

A new law allows local Ohio counties to circumvent the state’s authority on wind and solar projects with a veto. As some locals fear rural landscapes turning into industrial sites, clean energy advocates fear losing future projects. t.co/7T4JZWGjSb

A lightning rod for controversy, the IPCC draws scrutiny from fossil fuel parties and environmental activists alike. Some experts say the frequent IPCC leaked reports represent attempts to manipulate public perception of the panel’s scientific work. t.co/Q2zBvrUu5v

Creosote, a chemical mixture used as a wood preservative, could be the driving pollutant behind cancer clusters in one Houston neighborhood. Residents have long believed contamination from the Union Pacific railyard to be the source of illness. t.co/YgNzXJyfRb

In a community plagued by cancer, residents of the Fifth Ward in Houston are calling for Union Pacific Railroad to be held accountable for contaminating groundwater and soil with dangerous carcinogens like creosote. t.co/YgNzXJyfRb

A new study is triggering concerns about a climate tipping point and heat waves, as human-caused global warming could be “abrupt and irreversible,” with warming increasing faster than the climate system can adjust. t.co/o6kJH9U50x

“Nobody asked these families if they were willing to die to mine uranium,” said @SenatorLujan. Activists are pushing to extend and expand a law providing compensation to Navajo people exposed to radioactive uranium waste. t.co/pSsbn3OEKH

To do their work, the military needs the cooperation of the earth, air and sea. Extreme temperatures, wildfires and floods driven by climate change create a need for green infrastructure to prepare the military for the future. t.co/On5P1dF3k2

Cash or credit for carbon emissions? A new bill proposes creating a network to help farmers better assess their greenhouse gas reductions to sell in the form of credits in carbon offset markets. But the cover crops aren’t as popular as they seem. t.co/LRDWYBp1Xo

What happens in the Arctic won’t stay in the Arctic. As the region’s surface warms, a colder polar vortex in the atmosphere is speeding the breakdown of the ozone layer, Earth’s shield against ultraviolet rays, new research finds. t.co/criilWBoMm

Honey, what if we shrunk the economy? A new study proposes that the controlled shrinking of economies could slow climate change better than uncertain carbon capture technologies. t.co/KuowsdcwlY