This Week on Earth

EDN Week in Review: Environmental News for the Week of April 23

The Climate Change Education Act Introduced to Promote Climate Literacy “Having the program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will ensure access to the latest science. Also encouraging: the commitment to support green economy-related fields in higher education, so we can act on climate while also supporting the economy.” More…. “EU Agrees Total Ban on Bee-Harming Pesticides” (Damian Carrington, Guardian) “Bees and other insects are vital for global food production as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops. The plummeting numbers of pollinators in recent years has been blamed, in part, on the widespread use of pesticides.” More… French President Macron Addresses Congress “By polluting the oceans, not mitigating CO2 emissions and destroying the biodiversity, we are killing our planet. Let us face it, there is no planet B,” French President Macron said in a speech before the U.S. Congress. Full speech on C-Span “Honoring Citizen Science and More: Goldman Prize Winners Awarded” “Scientists Grapple with the World’s Plastic Problem” (Alison Snyder, Axios) “This is the central paradox of the plastic problem: Although we desire our plastics to be readily recyclable or not to persist in the environment, they must also be sufficiently robust to function in their desired application.” More… “Scott Pruitt, on Capitol Hill, Deflects Blame for Ethical Lapses” (Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman, New York Times) “Mr. Pruitt is now the subject of 10 federal investigations, including questions about his office’s illegal purchase of a secure phone booth, his condominium rental agreement with the wife of an energy lobbyist, and accusations that he demoted or sidelined E.P.A. employees who questioned his actions…” More…Climate Change Could Make Thousands of Islands ‘Uninhabitable’ and Disturb Key U.S. Military Installations” (Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis, Washington Post) “More than a thousand low-lying tropical islands risk becoming “uninhabitable” by the middle of the century — or possibly sooner — because of rising sea levels, upending the populations of some island nations and endangering key U.S. military assets, according to new research published Wednesday….” More…