"President Xi Jinping of China pledged on Tuesday that his country would adopt much stronger climate targets and achieve what he called “carbon neutrality before 2060.” If realized, the pledges would be crucial in the global fight against climate change."
The Nina Mason Pulliam Award judges chose "Polluter's Paradise" as the "best of the best," after reviewing all the first-place winners of SEJ's 2020 Awards for Reporting on the Environment. The $10,000 prize and congratulations go to Tristan Baurick, Joan Meiners, Gordon Russell and Sara Sneath of The Times-Picayune and The Advocate; and Lylla Younes, Al Shaw and Claire Perlman of ProPublica.
"Wildfires in Washington state have burned hundreds of thousands of acres, including an important mating habitat for sage grouse."
"Only remnants of this carbon-rich forest in the Maritimes remain after centuries of clear-cutting. Thousands of family forest owners have a stake in its survival. The question is: can they earn revenue from its protection rather than its destruction?"
"Asphalt—a petroleum product used on roads and roofs—is a significant source of harmful chemicals that end up contributing to ozone and particulate matter pollution, according to a study published today in Science Advances."
"The White House is threatening to veto an energy bill rolled out by Democrats last week, calling it a “a top-down approach that would undermine the administration’s deregulatory agenda.”"
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted guidance Friday evening saying that aerosol transmission might be one of the "most common" ways the coronavirus is spreading — and then took the guidance down on Monday."
"Four former heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Democrats and Republicans, on Monday issued a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s record on the environment after the current administrator said the agency is focused on “work that has been neglected for years.”"
"President Trump has made dismantling federal climate policies a centerpiece of his administration. A new analysis from the Rhodium Group finds those rollbacks add up to a lot more planet-warming emissions."
"A “crazy year” in the Arctic has resulted in the second-lowest extent of sea ice in the region, scientists said Monday. Researchers with the National Snow and Ice Data Center said the minimum was most likely reached on Sept. 15, with 1.44 million square miles of ocean covered in ice. Since then, with temperatures falling and new ice forming, coverage has been increasing."
