Happy solstice, friends. There is a heat emergency in Philadelphia and much of the northeast right now. Stay cool, stay hydrated.
It’s officially going to be Too Hot Out There (Indignity, June 17, 2024)
Interactive map: Heat risk (National Weather Service)
Plastic Free July
Every year, the Plastic Free Foundation declares Plastic Free July to promote alternatives to single-use plastic. You can participate by signing up for the challenge, committing to go plastic-free for one month, one week, or even one day. You can explore the website’s abundant resources, solutions, and suggestions for plastic alternatives. You can browse their campaigns to get ideas for how people have reduced plastic in their classroom supplies, office breakrooms, and other community spaces.
If you need more motivation, here’s some plastic in the news from the last few months.
If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10% – and we’re set for a huge surge in production (The Conversation, April 24, 2024)
Will Americans Ever Get Sick of Cheap Junk? (The Atlantic, April 29, 2024, gift link)
From War Machine to Supermarket Staple: A History of the Plastic Bag (Orion Magazine)
Is Big Oil Putting Microplastic in Your Testicles? (The New Republic, May 22, 2024)
If you read only one of these, read this one: a gripping account of disinformation in action.
Plastic, Plastic Everywhere — Even at the UN’s “Plastic Free” Conference (Propublica, May 10, 2024)
Climate impacts
Another Sriracha shortage could be coming. A severe drought is to blame. (The Washington Post, May 8, 2024, gift link)
Persistent Brazil floods raise specter of climate migration (Reuters, May 14, 2024)
Louisiana’s coast is sinking. Advocates say the governor is undermining efforts to save it. (Washington Post, May 25, 2024)
Groundwater is heating up, threatening life below and above the surface (The Conversation, June 4, 2024)
Energy
What Do Google’s AI Answers Cost the Environment? (Scientific American, June 11, 2024)
A renewable energy transition that doesn’t harm nature? It’s not just possible, it’s essential (The Conversation, June 6, 2024)
Pollution
Nine Takeaways From Our Investigation Into 3M’s Forever Chemicals (Propublica, May 24, 2024)
Politics and policy
Mexico elected a a leftist woman scientist as president, which in many respects is a very big deal! But HEATED gets into the nuances a bit: Claudia Sheinbaum is a PhD engineer who does have expertise in renewable energy, but also supports state-owned fossil fuel production. So, there are reasons to celebrate and reasons to be cautious.
What is a “leftist climate scientist” president, exactly? (HEATED, June 4, 2024)
But just for fun, enjoy Lyz Lenz absolutely roasting a conservative writer who has bad reasons for worrying about Mexico’s new president.
Dingus of the week: David Frum (Men Yell at Me, June 7, 2024)
What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign (Washington Post, May 9, 2024)
(Spoiler: it is a lot of very specific promises to overturn environmental rules and policies that the Biden administration has put into place.)
How divestment became a ‘clarion call’ in anti-fossil fuel and pro-ceasefire protests (The Guardian, April 24, 2024)
Some good news
‘On every roof something is possible’: how sponge cities could change the way we handle rain (The Guardian, May 2, 2024)
California groundwater levels rose in 2023 for the first time in 4 years (The Hill, May 7, 2024)
Renewable energy passes 30% of world’s electricity supply (The Guardian, May 7, 2024)
“Absolute Miracle” – New Recycling Method Could Help Solve One of the World’s Biggest Climate Challenges (SciTechDaily, May 28, 2024)
This alludes to one of my favorite climate success stories: The Montreal Protocol, which resulted in the ban of ozone-depleting substances–a real-life example of what a global effort to curb emissions can look like.
Harmful gases destroying ozone layer falling faster than expected, study finds (The Guardian, June 11, 2024)
How grassroots climate activists are taking on Big Tech (HEATED, June 13, 2024)
Sara Davis 