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Swift action on climate change could help protect national parks
“The rapid warming can destroy important habitat for plants and animals, but reducing carbon pollution can help. Gonzalez’s research shows that swift action could reduce the expected heat increase in national parks by up to two-thirds.
‘The U.S. national parks protect some of the most irreplaceable natural areas and cultural sites in the world,’ he says. ‘Cutting carbon pollution would reduce human-caused climate change and help save our national parks for future generations.'”
What environmentalists can learn from the Black Lives Matter movement
‘While civil rights leaders in the 1960s were advocating for changes in their communities, they were also raising awareness for environmental and public health concerns that disproportionately impacted them.
The civil rights movement paved the way for the environmental movement, and in 1968, Black sanitation workers in Memphis went on strike to protest low pay and dangerous working conditions. The night before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told the group of strikers, “We’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through.”…’
158 resources to understand racism in America
In a short essay published earlier this week, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch wrote that the recent killing in Minnesota of George Floyd has forced the country to “confront the reality that, despite gains made in the past 50 years, we are still a nation riven by inequality and racial division.”
Amid escalating clashes between protesters and police, discussing race—from the inequity embedded in American institutions to the United States’ long, painful history of anti-black violence—is an essential step in sparking meaningful societal change. To support those struggling to begin these difficult conversations, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture recently launched a “Talking About Race” portal featuring “tools and guidance” for educators, parents, caregivers and other people committed to equity.
Climate change in the American mind: April 2020
Our latest national survey finds that, in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, American public opinion about climate change has remained steady and, in some cases, reached all-time highs. For example, Americans’ understanding that climate change is happening has tied the prior all-time high, and public understanding that global warming is human-caused has reached an all-time high. The report includes many other interesting findings, including how often Americans hear and talk about global warming.
Americans see climate as a concern, even amid Coronavirus crisis
Americans’ positions on climate change have remained largely unshaken by the Coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis, according to a new national survey that showed acceptance of the reality of global warming at record highs in some categories.
In the report, Climate Change in the American Mind, written by researchers at Yale University and George Mason University and made public on Tuesday, 73 percent of those polled said that climate change was happening, which matches the highest level of acceptance previously measured by the survey, from 2019.
6 ways to be antiracist, because being ‘not racist’ isn’t enough
“One cannot strive to be antiracist without action, and Kendi says that one way to act is by supporting organizations in your community that are fighting policies that create racial disparities. You can volunteer for or fund those organizations. Kendi also recommends using one’s power or getting into a position of power to change racist policies in any setting where they exist—school, work, government, and so on. The point is to commit to some form of action that has the potential to change racist policies…”
I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet.
‘The very serious function of racism…is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being.’
Johnson goes on to say, “As a marine biologist and policy nerd, building community around climate solutions is my life’s work. But I’m also a black person in the United States of America. I work on one existential crisis, but these days I can’t concentrate because of another.
People of color disproportionately bear climate impacts, from storms to heatwaves to pollution. Fossil-fueled power plants and refineries are disproportionately located in black neighborhoods, leading to poor air quality and putting people at higher risk for coronavirus…Look, I would love to ignore racism and focus all my attention on climate. But I can’t. Because I am human. And I’m black. And ignoring racism won’t make it go away…”
George Floyd’s memorial and funeral services will take place in Minneapolis, Houston, and North Carolina
Services honoring George Floyd, who died while being arrested in Minneapolis, will take place in three states over the course of six days…
Fire and ice: Why volcanic activity is not melting the polar ice sheets
There are many places on Earth where fire meets ice. Volcanoes located in high-latitude regions are frequently snow- and ice-covered. In recent years, some have speculated that volcanic activity could be playing a role in the present-day loss of ice mass from Earth’s polar ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. But does the science support that idea?
How improving soil health can help farmers adapt to extreme weather
Heavy rain can wash topsoil off farm fields. Droughts can leave crops withering in the sun. But improving soil health can help farmers adapt to extreme weather.
Healthy soil absorbs and holds more water, so farms can better withstand droughts and floods. Jennifer Moore-Kucera of the American Farmland Trust says healthy soil also stores more carbon, which helps slow global warming…