1. A is for asbestos: The environmental challenges facing Philly schools
  2. The Age of Preparedness: Securing Your Finances in the Face of the Climate Crisis
  3. A Former Sugar Plantation Up in Flames: The Lahaina Wildfires
  4. From Heatwaves to Hydration: Philadelphia’s Water Landscape Explored
  5. A Sizzling Summer: Philly Faces Extreme Temperatures
  6. Get to Know The New Host of ecoWURD: Tamara P.O.C. Russell
  7. Funding the Fight for Climate Justice: Local and Federal Grants Propel Environmental Initiatives
  8. Where There is Fire, There Will Be Smoke
  9. Lessons at Sea: Capitalism, Climate Change and a Path Forward
  10. Investing in Women, Investing in the Future: The Wise Fund’s Vision for a Greener World
  11. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  12. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  13. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  14. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  15. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  16. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  17. RACISM IN THE WATER
  18. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  19. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  20. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  21. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  22. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  23. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  24. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  25. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  26. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  27. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  28. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  29. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  30. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  31. Ian Harris
  32. Melissa Ostroff
  33. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  34. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  35. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  36. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  37. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  38. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  39. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  40. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  41. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  42. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  43. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  44. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  45. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  46. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  47. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  48. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  49. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  50. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  51. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  52. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  53. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  54. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  55. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  56. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  57. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  58. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  59. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  60. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  61. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  62. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  63. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  64. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  65. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  66. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  67. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  68. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  69. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  70. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  71. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  72. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  73. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  74. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  75. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  76. THE NATURE GAP
  77. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  78. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  79. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  80. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  81. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  82. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  83. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  84. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  85. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  86. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  87. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  88. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  89. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  90. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  91. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  92. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  93. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  94. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  95. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  96. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  97. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  98. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  99. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  100. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  101. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  102. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  103. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  104. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  105. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  106. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  107. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  108. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  109. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  110. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  111. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  112. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  113. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  114. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  115. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  116. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  117. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  118. THE LACK OF DIVERSE LEADERS IN THE GREEN SPACE Environmental Advocacy Organizations – especially the “Big Green” – Really Need More Black & Brown People in Senior Positions
  119. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  120. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  121. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  122. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  123. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  124. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  125. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  126. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  127. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  128. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  129. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  130. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  131. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  132. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  133. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  134. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  135. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  136. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  137. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  138. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  139. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  140. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  141. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  142. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  143. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  144. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  145. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  146. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  147. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  148. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  149. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  150. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  151. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  152. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  153. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  154. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  155. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  156. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  157. Are You Going to Drink That?
  158. The Origins of ecoWURD
  159. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  160. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  161. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  162. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess
Saturday, September 30, 2023
  1. A is for asbestos: The environmental challenges facing Philly schools
  2. The Age of Preparedness: Securing Your Finances in the Face of the Climate Crisis
  3. A Former Sugar Plantation Up in Flames: The Lahaina Wildfires
  4. From Heatwaves to Hydration: Philadelphia’s Water Landscape Explored
  5. A Sizzling Summer: Philly Faces Extreme Temperatures
  6. Get to Know The New Host of ecoWURD: Tamara P.O.C. Russell
  7. Funding the Fight for Climate Justice: Local and Federal Grants Propel Environmental Initiatives
  8. Where There is Fire, There Will Be Smoke
  9. Lessons at Sea: Capitalism, Climate Change and a Path Forward
  10. Investing in Women, Investing in the Future: The Wise Fund’s Vision for a Greener World
  11. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  12. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  13. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  14. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  15. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  16. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  17. RACISM IN THE WATER
  18. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  19. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  20. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  21. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  22. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  23. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  24. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  25. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  26. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  27. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  28. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  29. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  30. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  31. Ian Harris
  32. Melissa Ostroff
  33. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  34. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  35. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  36. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  37. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  38. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  39. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  40. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  41. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  42. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  43. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  44. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  45. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  46. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  47. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  48. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  49. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  50. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  51. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  52. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  53. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  54. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  55. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  56. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  57. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  58. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  59. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  60. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  61. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  62. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  63. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  64. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  65. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  66. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  67. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  68. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  69. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  70. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  71. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  72. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  73. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  74. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  75. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  76. THE NATURE GAP
  77. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  78. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  79. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  80. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  81. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  82. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  83. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  84. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  85. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  86. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  87. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  88. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  89. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  90. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  91. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  92. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  93. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  94. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  95. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  96. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  97. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  98. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  99. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  100. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  101. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  102. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  103. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  104. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  105. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  106. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  107. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  108. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  109. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  110. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  111. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  112. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  113. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  114. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  115. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  116. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  117. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  118. THE LACK OF DIVERSE LEADERS IN THE GREEN SPACE Environmental Advocacy Organizations – especially the “Big Green” – Really Need More Black & Brown People in Senior Positions
  119. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  120. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  121. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  122. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  123. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  124. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  125. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  126. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  127. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  128. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  129. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  130. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  131. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  132. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  133. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  134. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  135. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  136. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  137. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  138. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  139. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  140. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  141. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  142. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  143. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  144. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  145. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  146. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  147. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  148. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  149. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  150. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  151. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  152. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  153. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  154. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  155. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  156. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  157. Are You Going to Drink That?
  158. The Origins of ecoWURD
  159. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  160. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  161. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  162. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess

An Overview of Just How Much Climate Change is a Factor in 2018

2018 has been a year of notable climate change-instigated disasters. It’s also one of the most caustic and consequential election years in modern memory. And with environmental calamities transfixed on seemingly every other headline in between the  melodrama in Washington and on the campaign trail, it would stand to reason that environmental issues would be front and center on the minds of voters.

Voters would have plenty to get concerned about with respect to the health of the planet. Heat waves impacted melted major cities as urban heat islands expanded, along with a spike in heat-related deaths. More than usual wildfires turned millions of acres into charred landscape. Hurricanes have become a back-to-back staple on the news cycle, pummeling key battleground states and ravaging entire communities. Incessant rRains and flooding have sparked renewed concerns that rising sea levels along the East Coast will arrive much sooner than anticipated.   

Topping all that: a hundred scientists convened by the United Nations warn that we’ve all got a decade to reverse it before the point of no return.

But does news of impending environmental doom move the electorate, especially during a midterm?  It’s unclear. Even as Hurricane Michael barreled through Florida, Georgia and Alabama this past week, the media chattering class seemed more obsessed with Kanye West visiting the White House than what this latest catastrophe – only a few weeks in the wake of Hurricane Florence – signified about the overall health of the planet. With all the key state and federal level races happening, there was no highlight from candidates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, no effort to connect it with voter decision making.  Only President Trump’s inevitable skepticism of the report made news cycles before the week’s end – “Who drew it?” he asked. “Because I can give you reports that are fabulous and I can give you reports that are not so good.”

So, with less than 30 days left before the midterms, will the environment mobilize voters?

Gallup’s annual poll on the topic of climate change impact shows less than half (43 percent) of all Americans concerned that “global warming” will ever affect them.  That was back in March 2018 – still, it was also nearly six months after epic Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma devastated places like Houston, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Around that same time, however, Quinnipiac found 69 percent of voters “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about climate change, with 62 percent concerned they “or a family member will be personally affected by” it.  And less than a quarter believe the U.S. is doing anything about it.

The last point is significant. Some polls are attempting to quietly assess how the American public is reacting to very aggressive Trump administration moves to reverse once normal (and progressive) policymaking on the environment.  In just the past year, President Trump has announced U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty, gutted the Environmental Protection Agency by placing oil, coal, and other fossil-driven industry lobbyists in leadership positions, and the rollback of important coal, carbon and methane emission regulations originally created to reduce air pollution.

Most voters may see these issues as important, but there is no evidence they view them as immediate threats in need of prompt policy response. In terms of whether voters will head to the polls according to where candidates stand on the environment, it’s fairly clear they won’t.  Environmental issues rank 12th out of 17 issues driving voters, according to the Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll – roughly 3.6 percent; it was at a peak of 5.5 percent during the week ending September 23rd, a reflection of public reaction to Florence.

YouGov’s polling shows just half of voters identifying the environment as a “very important issue,” with an addition 32 percent signaling that it’s “somewhat important. 

And unlike the Reuters poll, the environment ranks better: 4th among 15 issues of “most important” to voters, just below healthcare, social security and the economy. (DON’T NEED CHART)

Ironically, a recent Elon University poll in the wake of Florence found overwhelming numbers of North Carolinians – Democrats and Republicans alike – believing climate change will personally impact them: 83 percent now feel climate change will have some sort of negative impact on coastal areas, among the hardest hit locations in North Carolina during Florence.  North Carolina was a major 2016 battleground state won by Trump, a very vocal climate change skeptic who’s called the notion of global warming a “hoax.”

Does any of that necessarily mean voters will be motivated by concerns over the environment?  Not necessarily, particularly when looking at the Reuters poll. Environmental concerns in the polls assessed are also primarily focused on climate change, as opposed to other pressing issues such as air and water quality.

In Pennsylvania, a major battleground state hosting both a gubernatorial race and a U.S. Senate race, the issue of the environment barely registers with voters in a September Franklin and Marshall poll: only 2 percent of voters claim that the environment will influence their vote for Governor, and 1 percent say the same in their vote for Senator.  Yet, environmental issues such as water quality, air quality and the construction of natural gas pipelines through major metropolitan centers in Pennsylvania loom as significant threats to quality of life in the state.

An April 2018 Change Research poll did explore the environment overall as a major issue, as 48 percent – a slim majority – of voters claimed Trump administration rollbacks of environmental regulations would influence their vote in the 2018 midterms.

But, is it a leading or driving reason pushing voters into the polls?  It’s difficult to say – what is clear is that the issue resonates based on party, regional placement, income and race.  Your party, where you live, how much you earn and your race could determine how much you perceive the environment impacting you and your community.   For example, as the most recent YouGov poll finds, Black voters are the most concerned demographic on the importance of the environment as an issue: 88 percent of Black respondents said the environment was either “very” or “somewhat important” to them compared to 80 percent of Whites and the same for Latino voters. Individuals making under $50,000 annually are the most concerned about the environment – at 85 percent – compared to 80 percent for individuals making up to $100,000 or more annually.  And it’s worth noting that these racial and income disparities in views on the environment also mirror the same gaps that are pronounced during environmental disasters.

(Next week: A closer look at the racial demographics of environmental concerns and advocacy)