In The News

Medium: Lawsuits Stifle Environmental Opposition

Rebecca Renner October 29, 2018
Environmental activists strive to delay development of sensitive lands. In turn, development firms rely on courts to stop the interference. Maggie Hurchalla, 77, opposed development of 2200 acres of sugarcane fields near Lake Okeechobee and pollution described as the source of red tide outbreaks along Florida’s coasts. Her activism focused on public water supplies and storage and transfer of...

Financial Times: Global Recycling Crisis

Leslie Hook and John Reed October 26, 2018
Increases in online shopping combined with China’s ban on many plastic and other waste imports as of this year disrupted the global recycling industry, increasing costs and leaving piles of trash in communities and ports. The $200 billion industry processes more than 270 million tons of waste each year into new products – clothing, construction materials and more as described in a 2016 YaleGlobal...

RTÉ: Europe to Ban Single-Use Plastics From 2021

October 24, 2018
Small plastic items that are more fast conveniences than necessities will be banned from Europe as of 2021. “The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly today for an EU-wide ban on single-use plastics, such as straws, plastic cutlery and cotton buds,” reports RTÉ. “The European Commission, the 28-nation EU's executive arm, proposed banning such items that it said account for 70% of the...

Asia Sentinel: China Empties the Seas

Gregory McCann October 19, 2018
The Chinese have reduced fish stocks along their coastline so fishermen turn to other waters: “Today thousands of Chinese ships are trawling international waters from Guinea to Liberia and Senegal to Taiwan, Palau and Fiji and beyond to Chile and even beyond that, Chinese fishing vessels are scouring the seas for anything that swims, vastly underreporting their catches to the UN Food and...

Insurance Journal: IPCC Climate Change Report

Don Jergler October 18, 2018
The UN Intercontinental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report on the ongoing risks of droughts, floods, wildfires and storms due to climate change. Corporations already prepare, and the insurance industry must worry both about property damage and coverage as well as an abrupt end to investments in the carbon economy as public opinion tends to shift quickly on such matters. “Institutional...

Forbes: Climate Change’s Threat for Children

Sophie Aziakou October 11, 2018
A new UN report warns that the world will face climate change catastrophe from drought, floods, wildfires, food and water scarcity by 2030 – just 12 years from now. A growing world population also adds pressure – now standing at 7.7 billion, expected to near 10 billion in 2050 – up from 2.5 billion in 1950. “The most disadvantaged children, who often live in the world’s poorest and most polluted...

Natural Blaze: Coffee and the Environment

Melissa Kravitz October 4, 2018
The world drinks about 1.4 billion cups of coffee per day, according to the International Coffee Organization. Only four countries – Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia – produced more than 500,000 metric tons annually in recent years. Routine habits of the world’s 7.4 billion people, like morning coffee, take a toll on the environment, explains Melissa Kravitz for Natural Blaze. She urges...