Green Cities
Week in Review: Environmental News for Oct. 28-Nov. 3
November 3, 2018
Here’s our week-in-review roundup of the top environmental stories of the week, with reports on climate impacts and action, threats to public health and species, progress in the fight to end plastic pollution, and more.
At the World Health Organization (WHO) Conference on Air Pollution & Health, it was revealed that more than 90% of the 7 million deaths caused by air pollution each year are in low- and middle-income countries.
Climate change is on the ballot in several states across the U.S. in the midterm elections. (E&E Publishing)
In advance of next month’s UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nation’s biodiversity chief warned that we have to move fast to protect the species that are vital to our survival. (Jonathan Watts, The Guardian)
More than a year after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed information about climate change from its website, with a note that updates were coming soon, the website remains unchanged. (Oliver Milman, The Guardian)
A new study indicates that people of color are more likely to suffer from the effects of wildfires. (Kendra Pierre-Louis, The New York Times)
A new report reveals a shocking decline in populations of wild animals. (Michael Marshall, Forbes)
The world’s oceans have absorbed more heat that previously expected. (Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis, Washington Post)
The first-ever Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health was held this week, organized by @WHO and with participation of @UNFCCC 👉https://t.co/J6malVflJn #AirPollution is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and linked to #ClimateChange #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/0WLNPKCYow
— UN Climate Change (@UNFCCC) November 3, 2018
Climate change is on the ballot in several states across the U.S. in the midterm elections. (E&E Publishing)
Climate politics is in play in many states this #midterms. Find out where and what’s the latest news https://t.co/xqwpFv8NzN#California #Florida #Washington pic.twitter.com/Dinf85Lw0q
— E&E News (@EENewsUpdates) November 3, 2018
In advance of next month’s UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nation’s biodiversity chief warned that we have to move fast to protect the species that are vital to our survival. (Jonathan Watts, The Guardian)
“The loss of biodiversity is a silent killer,” she told the Guardian. “It’s different from climate change, where people feel the impact in everyday life. With biodiversity, it is not so clear but by the time you feel what is happening, it may be too late…” More…
More than a year after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed information about climate change from its website, with a note that updates were coming soon, the website remains unchanged. (Oliver Milman, The Guardian)
“It’s an embarrassment. It is a ghost page,” said Judith Enck, who was EPA regional administrator during Barack Obama’s presidency. “It’s a bit like Amazon not allowing the public to order books via its website – it’s that fundamental. There’s no other issue at the EPA more important than climate change; it affects air, water, health and whether large parts of the world will survive….” More…
A new study indicates that people of color are more likely to suffer from the effects of wildfires. (Kendra Pierre-Louis, The New York Times)
The study, which appears in the journal PLoS One this month, suggests that people of color, especially Native Americans, face more risk from wildfires than whites. It is another example of how the kinds of disasters exacerbated by climate change often hit minorities and the poor the hardest… More…
A new report reveals a shocking decline in populations of wild animals. (Michael Marshall, Forbes)
The report concludes that populations of vertebrates – animals with backbones, including fish and mammals – fell 60 percent on average between 1970 and 2014…. More…
The world’s oceans have absorbed more heat that previously expected. (Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis, Washington Post)
Over the past quarter-century, Earth’s oceans have retained 60 percent more heat each year than scientists previously had thought, said Laure Resplandy, a geoscientist at Princeton University who led the startling study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The difference represents an enormous amount of additional energy, originating from the sun and trapped by Earth’s atmosphere — the yearly amount representing more than eight times the world’s annual energy consumption…. More…
