Weekend Reader, Sunday Jan. 21
Sacramento, CA

Weekend Reader, Sunday Jan. 21

"Last year felt like a funeral. This year feels like a protest." Marcher, interviewed on CNN.

With hundreds of thousands showing up in Washington, New York, Chicago, LA and other cities to raise hell over a smorgasbord of causes, environment, environmental justice, and climate change have at least a toehold.


Los Angeles marchers read the list: "ending violence, protection of reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, workers' rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, Indigenous people's rights and environmental justice."

Like a year ago, marchers and organizers led with women's issues, further energized by emergence of the #metoo movement. But revulsion toward President Trump and his policies shared the nationwide stages, with twin backdrops of a government shutdown and Trump's one-year anniversary on the job.

It's easy to imagine that the clear success of these two marches, a year apart, represents a credible "Resistance" to a political party that's left its mark on the Supreme Court and holds the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. And march organizers put a strong focus on the midterm elections—a movement that doesn't vote, can't win.

Consider the last time such a movement existed, 1970. The Vietnam War was the central issue; decay and tension in America's inner cities were also a major focus; burgeoning movements on feminism, the environment and more played supporting roles.

Alas, the anti-war, pro-environment, pro-equality candidate, George McGovern, lost to Richard Nixon in an epic landslide two years later. And this new movement has its work cut out for it. In the 1970's, many Republicans had fairly strong environmental leanings. Virtually no Republican officeholders do today.

Despite his support for the war and the dirty dealings of Watergate, Nixon founded EPA and NOAA and signed laws like the Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He also vetoed the Clean Water Act only to see a bipartisan Congress override that veto.

Imagine that happening today.

Trump would of course have no part of such things. But humor me: Today's marches could be the seed of an effective resistance to the most destructive environmental administration in American history as part of addressing a broad range of human rights and wrongs. We'll see. And now, this:

A career like no other: Jack Gerard announced his retirement after ten years at the helm of the American Petroleum Institute, Big Oil's preeminent lobby group. Prior to that, Gerard led the American Chemistry Council, Big Chem's preeminent lobby group. And before that, he headed up the National Mining Association, the coal and hard-rock mining industry's preemineent lobby group. Whew.

Top Weekend News

In Inside Climate News, Georgina Gustin reports on the widespread abandonment of Science Advisory Boards at Federal agencies.

Reporting in vox.com, Umair Urfain details how the government shutdown could disrupt climate change research.

Exception to the political rule: Carlos Curbelo's South Florida Congressional district could be swamped by sea level rise. Kat Bagley's Q&A with the Republican lawmaker in Yale e360 shows a crack in the ideological wall.

Opinions and Editorials

The Sierra Club's Mary Anne Hitt has an op-ed on how the coal and nuke industries are still chasing Federal subsidies and bailouts.

NYT's Nick Kristof has a Pacific island for you to visit. While it's still there.

The Irish Times does a little home-country bragging on Ireland's progress on plastic pollution.

The Trumpocene: Rollbacks, Denial & Purges

Evan Halper of the Los Angeles Times has a strong piece on the environmental impacts of Trump's first year.

And now, for something completely different: Historian Douglas Brinkley ponders what Teddy Roosevelt might do in the Trump Era.

And now, for something a bit more hopeful: John Platt of The Revelator on how the Trump enviro-purge has created a powerful backlash.

WTF Alert:

Bill Nye the Science Guy will attend the State of the Union Address as the guest of climate-denying Congressman Jim Bridenstine, an aspirant to fill the vacant slot of NASA Adminitrator.

environmental justice

LISTEN: Ana Baptista on supporting environmental justice movement building in academia

“Some of the best relationships have been built over that time where you’re just getting to know each other, showing up, being present.”

Dr. Ana Baptista joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss supporting environmental justice movements from within academia.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Amid LNG’s Gulf Coast expansion, community hopes to stand in its way
Coast Guard inspects Cameron LNG Facility in preparation for first LNG export in 2019. (Credit: Coast Guard News)

Amid LNG’s Gulf Coast expansion, community hopes to stand in its way

This 2-part series was co-produced by Environmental Health News and the journalism non-profit Economic Hardship Reporting Project. See part 1 here.Este ensayo también está disponible en español
Keep reading...Show less
petrochemical shell pennsylvania plastic
Shell's new petrochemical complex in southwestern Pennsylvania. (Credit: Nate Smallwood for Environmental Health News and Sierra Magazine)

Shell must seek a new air pollution permit for its Pennsylvania plastics plant

PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is requiring Shell Chemical Appalachia to submit a new air pollution permit for its massive petrochemical plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, which will subject the plant to more regulatory oversight than it’s been operating under.

Keep reading...Show less
LNG Gulf Coast pollution climate
Travis Dardar (center front), founder of Fishermen Interested in Saving Our Heritage and Allyssa Portaro, founder and executive director of Habitat Recovery Project at a fishers’ protest in New Orleans in January. (Credit: Traverse Productions/Diego Henriquez)

Op-ed: For environmental groups, Biden’s LNG decision cause for celebration – and caution

For fighters on the frontlines of the battle for environmental justice, the wins can seem few and far between.

Keep reading...Show less

Exploring the link between prenatal stress from natural disasters and child psychiatric conditions

A new investigation reveals how children exposed to Hurricane Sandy in utero face higher psychiatric condition risks, offering insights into the broader impacts of climate change on brain health.

Clayton Page Aldern reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less

Europe's climate policy opinions vary ahead of elections

A new survey debunks the notion of a broad green backlash against climate policies in Europe, suggesting a majority still favors more ambitious action.

Rosie Frost reports for Euronews.

Keep reading...Show less

Farmers grapple with scarce insurance options amid climate threats

In the face of escalating climate-related risks like droughts and floods, many fruit and vegetable farmers are struggling to find affordable insurance, jeopardizing their livelihoods and food supply.

Patrick Cooley reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
petrochemicals Texas

Toxic air lingers in Texas Latino community, revealing failures in state’s air monitoring system

Public data from a network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods like Cloverleaf unaware of whether the air they breathe is safe.

petrochemicals Texas

El aire tóxico en una comunidad latina de Texas revela los fallos del sistema estatal de control de calidad del aire

Los datos públicos de una red de monitores estatales del aire alrededor del Canal de Navegación de Houston son difíciles de interpretar y a menudo son insuficientes, dejando a vecindarios de mayoría latina, como Cloverleaf, sin saber si el aire que respiran es seguro.

pipeline protest

Protesting oil and gas line development harms mental health and creates distrust in government: Study

“The number of stress-activated health conditions people reported was quite staggering."

Global Plastic Treaty

This will be a big year in shaping the future of chemical recycling

The controversial practice looms large in state environmental laws, federal regulation and global plastic treaty negotiations.

plastic chemical recycling

What is chemical recycling?

While industry claims it could be part of a circular plastics economy, experts say that chemical recycling is extremely damaging to the environment and provides no real benefits.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.