
newrepublic.com
23 June 2020
America has failed the existential-crisis test
What the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic means for the global fight against climate change.
Climate change could slash global income for the average person by 40% if temperatures rise 4C above pre-industrial levels, a new study shows, challenging decades of economic modeling.
In short:
Key quote:
“In a hotter future, we can expect cascading supply chain disruptions triggered by extreme weather events worldwide.”
— Dr. Timothy Neal, University of New South Wales Institute for Climate Risk and Response
Why this matters:
For decades, policymakers have leaned heavily on integrated assessment models — tools meant to weigh the costs and benefits of acting on climate change — to guide everything from carbon pricing to international climate negotiations. But a growing body of research suggests those models have missed a critical point: The planet doesn’t operate in silos, and neither do economies. When a drought hits one part of the world, it can ripple through global food supply chains, raise prices on every continent, and put pressure on already strained health systems. Such “cascading impacts” are largely absent from older economic models, which means the actual cost of climate inaction has likely been dramatically underestimated.
Related: Unprecedented climate disasters surged worldwide in 2024
A new study has found that Los Angeles firefighters who battled January’s urban wildfires had significantly higher levels of mercury and lead in their blood cells than those who fought rural forest fires.
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Key quote:
“The recent findings highlight the many unrecognized cascading health effects from climate-intensified wildfire.”
— Jennifer Runkle, environmental epidemiologist at the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies
Why this matters:
As wildfires become more frequent and destructive in an overheating world, the line between a natural disaster and a public health emergency is blurring — especially in urban areas where homes, vehicles, and infrastructure add a toxic twist. When buildings go up in flames, they don’t just burn — they melt, vaporize, and spew out substances like asbestos, lead, mercury, and synthetic chemicals from plastics and electronics. These contaminants don’t just threaten firefighters and first responders on the front lines; they can settle into nearby communities and enter the bloodstream through lungs or skin.
Yet as research into these health risks becomes more urgent, federal support may be wavering. Under the Trump administration’s new budget priorities, climate-related health research at institutions like the National Institutes of Health faces mounting scrutiny and cuts, raising concerns that critical data could be left in the smoke.
Related EHN coverage:
A legal battle in Central Texas reveals rising tensions as booming urban areas seek to secure groundwater supplies by pumping from rural aquifers.
In short:
Key quote:
“Water is the new oil. They have a commodity that can be sold and they have every right to sell it.”
— Alan Day, manager of the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District
Why this matters:
Rapid population growth in Central Texas is colliding with a patchwork legal system ill-equipped to manage dwindling groundwater reserves. Private companies — often backed by Wall Street — are securing rights to pump and sell groundwater, exacerbating tensions with rural landowners who fear the depletion of wells and the loss of local control. At the same time, Texas is becoming hotter and drier, with more erratic rainfall and less reliable aquifer recharge. As water-hungry sectors like semiconductor fabrication and AI-driven data centers move in, the fight over groundwater is becoming a proxy battle over growth, climate resilience, and who gets to shape the future of the region.
Related: Navigating the waters of the Rio Grande legal battle
Seven Indigenous nations in Michigan have walked away from federal talks over a proposed oil pipeline tunnel, citing a lack of meaningful engagement and treaty violations.
Izzy Ross reports for Grist and Interlochen Public Radio.
In short:
Key quote:
“Tribal Nations are no longer willing to expend their time and resources as Cooperating Agencies just so their participation may be used by the Corps to lend credibility to a flawed [Environmental Impact Statement] process and document.”
— Letter from seven Indigenous nations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Why this matters:
Buried beneath the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron converge, Line 5 has become a flashpoint in the battle over fossil fuel infrastructure, Indigenous sovereignty, and environmental protection. The aging oil and gas pipeline — operated by Canadian energy giant Enbridge — moves millions of gallons of crude and natural gas liquids daily through a region that holds 20% of the planet’s surface freshwater. A proposed tunnel to house a replacement segment beneath the lakebed has drawn fierce opposition from tribal nations, who warn it risks catastrophic spills and continued desecration of sacred territory.
Related: Trump donor’s company set to profit from Michigan pipeline deal
Dow has applied for federal approval to build small nuclear reactors at its Seadrift, Texas, facility to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its reliance on natural gas.
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Why this matters:
Dow’s recent decision to pursue a small nuclear reactor at one of its Gulf Coast plastics plants, aiming to reduce its dependence on natural gas, reflects a broader reckoning in energy-intensive sectors. Petrochemical manufacturing is among the dirtiest and most health-damaging parts of the industrial economy, especially for workers and fence-line communities who bear the brunt of chemical pollution. Nuclear’s entry into this world could reshape the conversation — not just about emissions, but about what a “clean” energy transition really means when the industries being decarbonized still pose significant public health risks and nuclear waste disposal remains an unresolved issue.
Read more: Texas explores mini nuclear reactors as a power solution
The U.S. Department of Energy has rebranded its long-running Solar Decathlon as a broader building design event without a competition or emphasis on renewable energy.
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Key quote:
“This is how they figured they could resurrect it and keep it going instead of having it completely axed.”
— Dorothy Gerring, associate professor of architecture, Pennsylvania College of Technology, speaking as a private citizen
Why this matters:
Once a marquee event spotlighting the future of clean energy, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon has quietly undergone a transformation that’s raising eyebrows in environmental and educational circles. This move comes just as rooftop solar and home battery systems are being adopted at record rates across the country. Critics argue that sidelining the program’s clean energy roots sends a message: that the federal government is stepping back from publicly championing climate-ready infrastructure. Without a strong federal platform to train future engineers, architects, and tradespeople in sustainable construction, the pace of the U.S. transition to low-carbon buildings could slow.
Learn more: Rooftop solar is becoming more affordable
Some commercial fish like haddock and flatfish are gathering around offshore wind turbines, showing how these clean energy structures might reshape marine ecosystems.
In short:
Key quote:
“We know that, for many species of fish, this wind foundation is a really big deal.”
— Brendan Runde, marine ecologist with The Nature Conservancy
Why this matters:
New research suggests that the hulking steel structures anchoring turbines to the seafloor may double as marine sanctuaries, creating habitat where there was previously little to none. Yet despite this potential ecological upside, the United States remains behind both Europe and China in developing offshore wind capacity and conducting long-term research. The Trump administration’s rollback of funding for ocean science programs has further obscured understanding of environmental benefits and impacts, leaving communities and regulators with more political noise than data.
Read more: Freeze on offshore wind projects puts states' climate goals at risk
“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”
“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.
We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.
Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.
Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.
The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.