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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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POLITICS

A Low Point for the Highest Court: West Virginia v. EPA and its Implications

As the world stares down the barrel at the irreversible damage that can be done by climate change, experts are urging all countries to take responsibility and accountability for the amount of emissions they have produced. Across the pond, the United Kingdom has committed to lowering emissions by 78% by 2035. In stark contrast, the […]

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POLITICS

The Prospect of Climate Refugees and the Urgency of Now

Global warming has been wounding our Earth for decades, but now a new prospect presents itself: climate refugees. In recent years, climate-induced migration has surged. Food insecurity, sea level rise, drought, poverty, and conflict, all exacerbated by climate change, have begun to force millions out of their homelands. The World Bank predicts that by 2050 […]

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POLITICS

Forget Red and Blue This Election Season –– It’s Time to Vote Green

With the midterm elections just days away and millions of Americans already heading to the polls for early voting, the climate is heating up — in both a political and literal sense. In the two years since the last federal election, the United States has seen record-breaking temperatures, devastating floods, raging wildfires, and more. But […]