Categories
POLITICS

Land-Based Climate Solutions: A New Form of Colonization

Last year’s Conference of the Parties (COP27) brought together voices that advocate for just and sustainable solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. In an attempt to reach the Paris Agreement’s goal of global net zero emissions by 2050, President Biden developed “New Initiatives at COP27 to Strengthen U.S. Leadership in Tackling Climate Change.” […]

Categories
POLITICS

Environmental Inequality: Racial Disparities in Boston’s Air Pollution

Air pollution is a prominent health issue around the world, and is a leading cause of deadly medical conditions such as heart disease. Major sources of air pollution are often anthropogenic, such as emissions from industrial facilities and modes of transportation. As technology has advanced, researchers have mapped the areas most affected by air pollution, […]

Categories
POLITICS

Key Takeaways from COP27

The United Nations Conference of Parties, or COP, held its 27th conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022. Consisting of thousands of delegates and representatives from 190 countries, COP demonstrates the need for global collaboration on environmental policy and climate action. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the president of Egypt, announces his support and believes that […]

Categories
POLITICS

Climate Activists as Performance Artists

“Tomato Soup thrown on Van Gogh Painting” might be a headline you’ve seen recently in your feed. Beginning in spring of this year, protestors across Europe and the US have been organizing stunts in a similar pursuit–to urge others to care about the climate crisis and to call attention to governments implementing new oil and […]

Categories
POLITICS

The Military Industrial Complex & The Climate Crisis

As President Dwight D. Eisenhower left office in 1961, he delivered a farewell speech. He warned, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” Ironically, during his presidency […]

Categories
POLITICS

Election Season Restores Hope for Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest

As the United States election season comes to a close, it can sometimes be easy to forget that there are countries all over the world that are also casting their ballots for new leaders. One such country, Brazil, celebrated victory when former president leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reelected, defeating unpopular far-right President […]

Categories
POLITICS

Will Farmers be Paying for their Livestock Emissions?

New Zealand is the first country in the world to plan an agricultural emissions tax. In mid-October, the government of New Zealand announced a new pricing system that aims to combat the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Much of the country’s emissions can be attributed to animal agriculture, which is dominated by cow and sheep farming. […]

Categories
POLITICS

Environmental Crisis in Ukraine: How Russia’s Invasion has Devastated the Natural World

The tragedies of war stretch across nearly all aspects of life, ranging from civilian displacement to infrastructure demolition. As a result, environmental damages can often be overlooked when considering the overall devastation caused by warfare. Due to humanity’s historical negligence in regard to environmental concerns, society no longer has time to ignore the consequences of […]

Categories
POLITICS

The City of Boston Votes to Ban Fossil Fuels in New Infrastructure

On September 14th, 2022, the Boston City Council voted to adopt a new pilot program in Massachusetts that limits or bans the use of fossil fuels in new building developments. With a 9-3 vote, this decision is a step closer to achieving Boston’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050. Boston will join a handful […]

Categories
POLITICS

Two ‘Forever Chemicals’ Proposed to be Labeled as Hazardous Substances

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their proposal on August 26, 2022 to add two commonly-used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the list of hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).  The proposed designation was first announced during its preliminary stage in late 2020. With the Biden-Harris Administration’s […]