By Kea Wilson December 14, 2020
Our toxic system has toxic byproducts, which poison many people, but never the plutocrats/winners
The self-perceived “patriots” that stormed the Capitol are the fish swimming in a lake polluted with industrial runoff so that the factory owner can live on a nice hill far away. Hamilton Nolan, America Is Built to Feed Us Poison, In These Times, excerpt January 2021 Capitalism is the theory that everyone acting for their own naked good will produce social …
Methane is more dangerous than carbon dioxide — the gas index can help
Gas-burning stoves and ovens create indoor air pollution, with nitrogen dioxide — a toxic gas — rising to dangerous levels, three times what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved for outdoor air. And as Rocky Mountain Institute researchers documented, indoor air pollution from gas stoves is particularly detrimental to children, leading to learning deficits, increased risk of asthma, aggravated respiratory systems, increased susceptibility …
State ramps up detection of abandoned oil, gas wells
https://poststar.com/content/tncms/live/, Dec 2020 ALBANY — A partnered state effort announced earlier this month is leveraging new drone technology and magnetic surveillance to spot abandoned oil and gas wells statewide. To date, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has located more than 2,000 orphan wells that can continue to release methane into the atmosphere. Those well assessments have been based on …
Just recovery policies
Foundations for a Just Recovery Many of the policy solutions we advocate for a just recovery are cross-cutting by nature. They aim to shift mindsets, cultural norms, how people are treated, how our voices are heard, and how bedrock environmental laws are upheld, creating an overarching structure from which to fight for social, environmental, and economic justice. Honor those whose …
Gas Leaks – And It’s Worse Than We Thought, and half the increase in methane emissions is from increased fracking this past decade
We know the increase is largely due to fossil fuel production and this research suggests over half is from shale gas operations, December 16, 2020 Sheryl Carter There is no question that gas extraction, production and use is a significant contributor to our climate crisis, but just how bad it is depends a lot on how much the gas system leaks. …
Two-thirds of US has PFAS in drinking water above EPA safe limit, which is too low
Dec. 2020 A study by scientists from EWG, published in October 2020, used state testing data to estimate that more than 200 million Americans could have PFAS in their drinking water at concentrations of 1 part per trillion (ppt) or higher. That is the recommended safe limit, according to some scientists and health advocates, and is equivalent to one drop in 500,000 barrels …
‘Zombie’ Oil Wells Threaten the Whole Planet: Methane seeping from a quarter of suspended wells
‘Zombie’ Oil Wells Threaten the Whole Planet (The New York Times) After decades of booms and busts, a growing backlog of inactive oil wells in Canada could be leaking methane gas into the atmosphere, where it’s 80 times more potent at warming the planet than carbon dioxide, the New York Times reports. In Alberta, there are now 97,920 suspended wells, …
Start-up bets on new model for putting electric school buses on the road
Sarah Shemkus November 2, 2020, US Energy News Duncan McIntyre, left, CEO Highland Electric Transportation, stands by as Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill speaks during a ceremony unveiling the first electric school bus for the Beverly school district, Thursday, Oct 8, 2020. © David Sokol / USA TODAY NETWORK Highland Electric Transportation has partnered with a Massachusetts city to provide electric …
Indoor air pollution with gas stoves
Gizmodo, Oct 2020 One recent report found that gas stoves spew out levels of air pollution inside that would be illegal under outdoor regulations. “It’s really a cocktail of emissions that they put out,” Brady Seals, senior associate of building electrification at the Rocky Mountain Institute who co-authored the study, said. “There’s the emissions from the gas itself, the main ones of which are …