LISTEN: Ufuoma Ovienmhada on toxic prisons

“I really align with the broader movement of organizers, community members and researchers who want to see our government invest in public infrastructure and resources that address core drivers of crime.”

Ufuoma Ovienmhada joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss environmental injustice at prisons across the U.S.


Ovienmhada, a current fellow and a postdoctoral fellow in the school of geography, development, and environment at the University of Arizona, also talks about what prison ecology means, why extreme heat is so much worse and potentially deadly at prisons, and efforts to relieve environmental burdens for people who are incarcerated.

The Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast is a biweekly podcast featuring the stories and big ideas from past and present fellows, as well as others in the field. You can see all of the past episodes here.

Listen below to our discussion with Ovienmhada and subscribe to the podcast at iTunes or Spotify.

Transcript 

A firefighter walking through a forest setting prescribed burn fires

Wildfire mitigation in New Mexico down 53% since Trump took office

A new analysis by a wildland firefighter advocacy group finds that wildfire mitigation in New Mexico, including prescribed burns and forest thinning, has plunged by more than half since Donald Trump took office, raising alarms amid an already severe backlog in forest management and a predicted dry winter.

A close up of a coin on a table

Disasters like Hurricane Melissa put pressure on immigrants

After Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica, Canada’s Caribbean communities are mobilizing to send money and supplies back home — a reminder that those least responsible for climate change often shoulder its heaviest costs.

A silhouette of a person casting a vote into a box

It was a very good election for the climate

In the first election of Donald Trump's second term, voters make clear that they're unhappy with his energy policies — and they still care about climate action.

A 3D illustration of a bar chart with orange and blue bars

Planet in peril: 30 years of climate talks in six charts

As leaders gather for the U.N. climate summit in Brazil this month - three decades after the world's first annual climate conference - the data charting progress in the fight against global warming tells a sobering story.
A burned ear of corn in a burned corn field

Karen community fighting corn and coal for clean air in northern Thailand

Northern Thailand’s annual haze crisis is fueled by maize field burning tied to the animal feed industry, compounded by looming coal projects. In Omkoi, Karen villagers have banned maize and rotated crops to cut smoke, only to face a proposed lignite mine that threatens to undo hard-won gains.

An aerial View of Belem do Para, Brazil - scene of COP30
Credit: Gustavo Frazao/BigStock Photo ID: 107205569

High stakes and hopes as leaders gather ahead of COP30

Ahead of the UN climate conference in Brazil, international leaders including Germany's Merz and Brazil's Lula are meeting to discuss climate action. Experts say they should reaffirm their ambition to curb emissions.
illustration of blue, red, and gray hands raised below a blue checkbox with red checkmark

Democrats show early signs of winning energy messaging war

Democrats won gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, where candidates made affordability concerns and skyrocketing electricity bills central to their campaigns.
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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