Pollution

Burgeoning National EV Trend Helps Drive Local Environment, Climate Stories

The auto market is getting supercharged by California’s recent decision to require all-electric vehicle sales in a little over a decade. The latest TipSheet looks at how this big national trend will affect climate change by cutting CO2 emissions, how California came to have such an outsized impact on the U.S. market and how local environmental reporters can plug in for stories around their communities.

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Billion-Dollar Plant: Plastics Recycling - Or 'Sustainability Fraud'?

"Gov. Wolf touted jobs and less plastic pollution when the plans were announced in April, but a professor from Carnegie Mellon who’s studied the technology says it can lead to “sustainability fraud.”"

Source: Inside Climate News, 09/07/2022

Methane and Climate Change Toolbox

Levels of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, have doubled in the past 150 years due to human activity, particularly from fossil fuels and extensive farming. As part of an ongoing Society of Environmental Journalists special project focused on covering climate solutions, check out a methane resource toolbox and stay tuned for a methane reporting tipsheet in the coming weeks. Plus, watch the recording of an SEJ virtual webinar, Covering Climate Solutions: Containing and Monitoring Methane.

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September 21, 2022

Interview a Scientist – Noise Pollution and Human Health

Reporters can book a 15-min interview with pollution expert Dr. Erica Walker, from the Brown University School of Public Health, between 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET, on the impacts of noise pollution on human health, impact disparities for different demographic groups and steps individuals can take to reduce their exposure to noise pollution.

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September 13, 2022

Interview a Scientist – Plastic Recycling

Reporters can book a 15-min interview with a plastic recycling expert from UC Berkeley, between 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET, on why some jurisdictions have suspended their recycling programs; what research says about the potential implications of state-level recycling legislation; impacts of single-use plastics; and more.

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"States Ride Shotgun With California to Rev Up Clean Cars Rules"

"Nearly one-third of states are poised to adopt California’s new clean cars rule to fully phase out new gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035. The change could have a sweeping impact on the 17 states signed onto California’s vehicle standards and the car market across the country. In total, those states make up roughly 40% of nationwide auto sales."

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 09/02/2022

Leak Of Dangerous Chlorine Shows Gaps In La. Monitoring Of Chemical Plants

"Six days after a state Senate panel killed legislation that would have required real-time air monitoring along the edges of major Louisiana industrial facilities, an Olin Chemical subsidiary had a significant chlorine gas leak that sickened 39 people."

Source: Baton Rouge Advocate, 09/01/2022

"Mississippi’s Largest City In Water Crisis As Treatment Plant Fails"

"The governor of Mississippi urged residents of Jackson, the state’s capital and largest city, not to drink the water there — if they still had access to it — warning that running water would soon be unavailable as the city’s long-struggling treatment plant failed."

Source: Washington Post, 08/30/2022

"Some Cities Could Be Left Behind On Lead Pipe Replacements"

"In many cities, no one knows where the lead pipes lie underground. That’s important because lead pipes contaminate drinking water. After the lead crisis in Flint, officials in Michigan accelerated efforts to locate their pipes, a first step toward removal."

Source: AP, 08/30/2022

"When an Oil Well Is Your Neighbor"

"Three years ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to safeguard the health and safety of people living near oil and gas operations, but change hasn’t come. Millions still live near noxious oil and gas rigs, many long exempt from air pollution rules, as scientific evidence of their harm mounts."

Source: Inside Climate News, 08/30/2022

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