Many critics of government regulation argue that it reduces economic growth by making it more expensive for businesses to operate. But there is a strong counterargument that a clean environment is consistent with long-term economic prosperity. Here’s a compelling example: Since 1980, U.S. gross domestic product has grown by 165 percent, while emissions of six common air pollutants decreased by 67 percent – thanks largely to government regulation…
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This page features excerpts from news about environmental justice advocacy in the San Joaquin Valley and links to their original sources. Use the features on the right to sort by topic, news source, date, key word or author. You may also subscribe to receive the news by e-mail or through an rss reader. Please note that links to original sources may expire over time.
Indigenous Environmental Network’s International Sky Protectors Delegation and a broad coalition of local California tribal members, environmental justice groups, fenceline communities, people of color, academics and NGOs celebrated a significant win Friday, November 16th against California’s cap and trade carbon market program.
In a marathon hearing of the California Air Resources Board, Sky Protectors’ eloquent testimonies played a significant role towards blocking the vote on the so-called Tropical Forest Standard until April 2019…
People could add years to their lives in California and other smog-plagued parts of the world if authorities could reduce particulate pollution — soot from cars and industry — to levels recommended by the World Health Organization, a new study reported Monday.
No other large U.S. city would benefit more than Fresno, which has soot concentrations at roughly twice the WHO guidelines. Fresno residents would live a year longer if the region could meet the health organization’s recommended levels of exposure, according to Monday’s study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago…
Fresno Unified School District has canceled all outdoor activities due to poor air quality, the district said Tuesday.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has Fresno listed at Level 5 — or “Very Unhealthy.”
The district said outdoor activities are suspended until further notice…
Gavin Newsom’s win as governor has sparked chatter about whether he will carry the torch of his predecessor on climate change. But that is an ill-fitting metaphor.
Gov. Jerry Brown dropped the torch halfway through the race.
Yes, California has become a leader in renewable energy, compared to other U.S. states, and Brown has waxed poetic about the need to address global warming. But he has refused to address our most important climate challenge—California’s incredibly dirty fossil fuel extraction…
People could add years to their lives in California and other smog-plagued parts of the world if authorities could reduce particulate pollution — soot from cars and industry — to levels recommended by the World Health Organization, a new study reported Monday. No other large U.S. city would benefit more than Fresno, which has soot concentrations at roughly twice the WHO guidelines. Fresno residents would live a year longer if the region could meet the health organization’s recommended levels of exposure, according to Monday’s study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago….
Air quality in the Central Valley continues to worsen as all areas remain on alert from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Fresno, Merced, Madera, Kings and Tulare Counties are in unhealthy conditions as of Monday…
On Friday, Nov. 16, environmental justice groups, indigenous people’s organizations, scholars and international forest protectors will hold a press conference and rally at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in Sacramento to denounce the agency’s misguided plan to endorse the proposed Tropical Forest Standard. Friday’s event marks a continuing push by affected community members in California and the Global South to alert policymakers to the destructive and divisive nature of tropical forest offsets programs like (REDD+) and to call on the CARB to exclude them from the state’s cap and trade system….
On the morning of November 16 in Sacramento, California, amidst choking haze from the worst wildfires in the history of California, indigenous leaders from Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Nigeria, and the US donned pollution masks and rallied against a state proposal to save tropical forests….