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

by Dr. G.S. Potter | ecoWURD Contributor

Every four years the federal government must release a report on climate change.

And it’s the law.

In case you’re wondering, yes: the president – even a president as much of an ardent “climate skeptic” or “birther” president as this one – has no choice but to release it. That’s a very fine, but important detail mainstream news reporting has left out around the release of the most recent (and most alarming) “climate report.” And as much as the Trump Administration would probably like to get out of it, the problem for this particular White House is that it can’t.

The report is mandated by the Global Change Research Act of 1990.  Ironically, while it was crafted into legislation and passed by a Congress at that time solidly controlled by Democrats (until the Republican “revolution” that changed everything in the 1994 midterm elections), the act itself was signed into law by none other than a Republican, the late President George H.W. Bush, in November 1990. It’s a legacy Bush the First left us that we neither expected from him …. or know much about, if at all.

Knowing that this is law is important, if not downright crucial. It, first, answers a question everyone had when the report was somberly released while Black Friday shoppers slipped in and out of department stores: Why is this administration releasing a report like this? Didn’t their boss say this whole climate change panic is “a hoax?”  The law, however, provides context and it shows us that the issue of “climate change” (now in full crisis mode), didn’t suddenly pop up at the dawn of the millenia when Al Gore presented us with his Inconvenient Truth. The federal government and policymakers across the political spectrum knew rough times were ahead for the planet back then, even if they weren’t taking any real steps towards alleviating it.  Produced by the US Global Change Research Program, the report includes input from over 300 scientists from organizations such as NASA and the Defense Department.

Mental note: and if it’s something the Pentagon has its fingers in, and has had them in for that long, it means it’s that much of a serious national security problem for people to worry about.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: THE QUICK & VERY DIRTY

The Black Friday release was clearly an attempt by the Trump Administration to bury its findings. Still, the National Climate Assessment managed to see the light of day and it outlined climate change’s impacts on key sectors of the economy, various at-risk communities, and specific geopolitical populations.  

Here is a cheat sheeted list of three key takeaways in case you missed it:

  1. Humans are creating climate change (we know that already, but it’s not something all of us like to admit)
  2. The consequences are severe. They are here. And they are rapidly getting worse (we kind of know that already, too, but … back to holiday shopping and mass consumerism to purchase our worries away!)
  3. There is time to stop it, but not much (ok, you’re depressing us).

It’s not rocket science.  But it is science.

And it’s the school science lesson you probably forgot about. Burning coal, oil, gas, and forests releases CO2 into the air.  Since the Industrial Revolution alone, there is now 40 percent more CO2 in the air. CO2 traps heat. More CO2 means more heat.  

Hence, “global warming.”  

But it gets worse.  CO2 doesn’t just trap heat.  It also interacts with ocean water in a way that produces something called carbonic acid.  This increases the oceans acidity and the sea water starts acting like a corrosive. This effect is so strong that the ocean water literally eats through the shells of wildlife like clams, oysters, snails, and crabs – things humans like to eat.

When the term “climate change” was first entering our awareness as a nation, it was thought that the combined effects of temperature change and acidic seawater could have dramatic and almost SciFi-like effects on humans, wildlife, politics and the economy.  

Decades later, these effects are taking hold and surpassing even the most cynical observations of early climate scientists.

SOME PEOPLE IN HIGH PLACES ARE LOSING THEIR MINDS. SERIOUSLY.

Many people, in response, have lost their minds. On one end of the “WTF!” range, we have scientists from Harvard formulating plans to block out the sun. Yes: in an spectacular feat of “geoengineering,” some pretty “smart” people at an Ivy League school are geeked out on one of the plot lines in The Matrix (watch the backstory in Animatrix [2003] and you’ll see what I’m talking about) cool the planet down by blasting chemicals into the stratosphere. For years, scientists at Harvard have been experimenting with a process called “geoengineering.”  The idea is that if scientists release enough chemicals into the air – specifically calcium carbonate – they can block the sun’s rays. This would produce a cooling effect that would potentially curb or even counter global warming. They want to poison the air to stop the problems encountered when poisoning the air.  What could go wrong, right?

On the other end, the leader of what was once the most powerful nation on Earth has declared that science is “fake.” So, It’s not looking great.

His response to the recent release of the National Climate Assessment was: “I don’t believe it.”  The president* also reminded the nation that he is, in fact, very “intelligent”.

WHY PEOPLE OF COLOR SHOULD WORRY

In the middle of all this very White genius is, as usual, the countless people of color, disabled folks, elders, children, and poor folks forced to live – and die – with the consequences of these decisions.  And they are dying. Make no mistake about that. We will continue to do so in greater numbers if we don’t use our positions on the front lines of the climate crisis to take a stand at the forefront of efforts to end it.

Meanwhile, disenfranchising populations in power have been working hard to ensure they can avoid the fallout of climate change.  And for the most part, they’ve done a great job. They’ve managed to use advantages in property ownership and income to ensure that Black, Brown, and indigenous folks are forced to live in flood zones and low-lands while they wait out storms more comfortably on hilltops and away from rising water levels. If they are caught up in the damage, they also tend to have insurance and FEMA to come bail them out.  

Water and food shortages won’t be too much of a problem for them, either. They will still have enough money to pay full price for pre-peeled oranges and Trader Joes even if the cost of their Perrier goes up a bit. They have health insurance and are able to economically escape areas with the most pollution, so heat and air quality related diseases shouldn’t affect them too badly.  White communities generally have air-conditioned schools, homes, and places of business, too. So, it won’t disrupt their daily lives too dramatically.  

And sure, White populations won’t be able to avoid all of the fallout caused by climate change, but they sure won’t have to be on the front lines of the climate crisis.  People of color will be there to serve as a buffer.

Schools, institutions, businesses and other essential centers of activity for the disenfranchised will continue to shut down more frequently because of lack of air conditioning during extended summer heat waves and lack of heat during extreme cold snaps.  Our buses won’t run on time. Our stores won’t get shipments of food. And our pipes will stop running clean water.  It is our kids and elders that will get sick and die from pollution related illnesses like asthma. Our people are those that are displaced by hurricanes and floods.  It is our homes that will be destroyed and never rebuilt. We’re seeing it already.

And now under the Trump Administration, federal assistance for natural disasters seems to be more related to the color and political leaning of the community hit than the actual need for assistance.

But sure, blocking out the sun should fix all that, right Harvard?

CAN WE FIX THIS?

What must happen now is to stop those who’ve done so much damage already from continuing to take the lead in solving problems they create and designing solutions for the communities of color that must live with the consequences. And we don’t have time.

According to the National Climate Assessment, within our children’s lifetimes, the planet will reach a point in which the effects of climate change become irreversible.  We will not be able to stop the storms or the heat or the extinctions. We will not be able to save ourselves or the planet. We will have turned the fate of our communities over to the very same people that are fighting over who gets to destroy them first.  

Indigenous communities are under threat of losing entire cultures to corporations and governing agencies poisoning the air, land and water around them.

But many are coming out with their own sets of solutions to combat the crisis.  Yet, its essential to insert leaders from these communities into positions of authority where they can pass the policies and make the changes necessary to stop toxic emissions and keep communities of color from bearing the brunt of the global apocalypse.  Whether these positions are in the public or the private sector, vulnerable populations must lead – and no longer be vulnerable. They must light the way from climate crisis to planetary solution …. before our oppressors decide whether they’ll let the earth boil or to simply turn off the sun.