In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities are not doing enough to protect public transit workers or their passengers. Stronger safety measures, including providing personal protective equipment and more frequent service on busy routes, must be implemented immediately – especially with stay-at-home directives beginning to ease.
Even as we mourn the lives lost to COVID-19 and absorb the heavy toll it has taken on our economy, we must recognize that the old “normal” left too many communities unhealthy and especially vulnerable to the pandemic. Replicating that old “normal” will squander an opportunity to reduce climate danger while building healthier and more just communities for all.
Here in New England, only Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine have binding laws that set enforceable limits on the emissions that cause climate change – the same emissions scientists say must drop to net zero before 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate catastrophe.
“This terminal sits directly in harm’s way and is already a terrible threat to the health of surrounding communities,” said Brad Campbell, President of CLF. “This facility was severely threatened by storm surge and floodwaters in Superstorm Sandy, and an ill-conceived expansion plan will invite catastrophe. Gulf must recognize the reality of the climate crisis and ensure that a facility in this location can withstand the impacts without dumping oil and other toxic materials into New Haven Harbor.”
In anticipation of World Asthma Day, I connected with María Belén Power from GreenRoots, Andrea Nyamekye of Neighbor to Neighbor, and my CLF colleague Staci Rubin. The four of us spoke about air quality, public health, and what it means to live in an environmental justice community during a pandemic.
In 2019, Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs presented the Healthy Whale, Healthy Ocean Challenge, in partnership with CLF. Students of all ages from across New England created art, poetry, and film to raise awareness of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. We sat down with Senior Vice President Alyssa Irizarry to learn more about… Continue reading 5 Questions for Alyssa Irizarry of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
COVID-19 presents a challenge unlike any most of us have ever seen. When we emerge from this public health emergency, we will need to rely on clean, safe systems for reuse and recycling that will help preserve budgets that have been stretched thin and keep communities clean and safe. The bottle bill is a key part of this, regardless of the misrepresentations touted by opponents.
The lethal pandemic and its response are causing massive disruption to our economy and adding stress to most of our lives. But neither the human nor the economic costs of the virus are being borne equally. The communities hit first and worst by deadly air pollution, toxic chemical releases, climate threats, and other environmental harms… Continue reading On the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day: Advocacy in a Pandemic
Legal Food Hub launches in Connecticut to support local food economy
UPDATE: In the midst of a global pandemic, the Trump administration has taken the final steps to roll-back Obama-era rules that clean up our air and lower the carbon pollution from cars and trucks – often hailed as the federal government’s most important effort to tackle the climate crisis.
