environmental justice

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The hidden cost of powering your phone might be someone else’s cancer

As the world races to secure rare earth elements for tech and defense, residents of Baotou, China bear the brunt of toxic pollution and displacement.

Amy Hawkins reports for The Guardian.

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Oil companies divide Indigenous Amazon communities where the state fails to show up

In Ecuador’s Amazon, oil companies have taken over the roles of health providers, educators, and employers — fracturing Indigenous communities and undermining their autonomy in the process.

Emilia Paz y Miño and Isabela Ponce report for Mongabay and GK.

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FIFA faces rising heat risks as 2026 World Cup planning intensifies

A blistering heatwave during this year’s Club World Cup in the U.S. has reignited debate over the health and safety risks of afternoon match times for the 2026 World Cup, set to take place across North America.

Amy Tennery reports for Reuters.

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A residential garbage can overflows with plastic bottles and other waste.

New pricing system helps small town slash its garbage output

When Plympton, Massachusetts started charging by the bag for trash, it nearly halved the town’s garbage — and saved thousands of dollars in the process.

Tik Root reports for Grist.

In short:

  • Plympton cut its annual trash output from 640 to 335 tons after shifting from a flat-fee dump sticker to a “pay-as-you-throw” model charging per bag.
  • The new pricing system incentivized recycling and composting, saving the town about $65,000 a year and reducing landfill-related emissions.
  • Nearly half of Massachusetts municipalities now use PAYT, and experts say volume-based pricing drives waste reduction without unfairly burdening small or low-income households.

Key quote:

“We found that demand for waste disposal was really responsive to price. If you raise the price of trash, people are going to find ways to not put as much out at the curb.”

— John Halstead, retired professor of environmental economics at the University of New Hampshire and an author of a study on New Hampshire's pay-as-you-throw model

Why this matters:

Less landfill use means fewer toxics in the air and water, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and more recycled materials in circulation. Plympton’s story shows that smart policy doesn’t have to be punitive or complicated — it just has to make people see the cost of their choices, and let common sense do the rest.

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Heat and pollution are combining to threaten public health as U.S. temperatures rise

As a massive heat dome scorches much of the U.S., scientists warn that extreme heat is increasingly intensifying air pollution, amplifying health risks for millions.

Claire Brown and Christina Kelso report for The New York Times.

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Global support grows for carbon tax that also reduces poverty

People across 20 countries, including many in wealthy nations, say they are willing to pay a climate tax that also redistributes income to those with smaller carbon footprints.

Sophie Hurwitz reports for Grist.

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Harvard University red brick buildings with a green lawn and people rowing on a river in the foreground.
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How a government feud threatens decades of scientific progress

The Trump administration’s move to cut off $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard has upended a vital engine of American science, with ripple effects that reach far beyond a single university.

Emily Badger, Aatish Bhatia, and Ethan Singer report for The New York Times.

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