ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE
Partnership Invests $4.3 million overall in Mayors and Cities since 2012
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA) announced today $745,000 in grants to nine U.S. cities that are the winners of the 2021 Childhood Obesity Prevention and Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards. The grants, which were awarded during USCM’s 89th Winter Meeting, go to mayors who initiate exceptional programs to enhance health, wellness, and environmental quality of life in American cities in ways that help children and families thrive.
“The quality of public health and the environment in a city is essential to a vibrant community, so addressing these issues in a cohesive manner supports mayors’ efforts to deliver even greater impact for their citizens,” said Katherine Lugar, president of the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America board of directors and president and CEO of the American Beverage Association. “Congratulations to all of the winning mayors and cities, whose extraordinary programs are more than deserving of these grants.”
Since the beginning of their partnership in 2012, USCM and ABFHA have jointly awarded more than $4.3 million to 54 cities across the nation. Awards are made in small, medium, and large city population categories. For 2021, the program was significantly expanded to increase the amounts awarded to 1st and 2nd place winners, and a 3rd place grant was added in each population category. The scope of the award was expanded as well to allow mayors to submit proposals for a greater range of environmental and sustainability initiatives while continuing to support proposals that address childhood obesity interventions.
“Mayors have long understood the critical role that safe, clean, and green spaces play in improving…
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Charitable Nonprofits Send Letter to President Biden and Congressional Leaders Making Case for Pandemic Relief
On January 22, 75 national nonprofits sent a letter to President Biden and congressional leadership
Six Cities Share $745,000 in Grants Through the 2021 Childhood Obesity Prevention and Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy
Alfa Laval Joins Forces With Marine Industry Players to Accelerate Decarbonization
Alfa Laval – a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has joined a project with DTU Energy, Haldor Topsoe, Svitzer and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon to accelerate the development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, which can use green…
Statement by Battery Council International on President-Elect Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Recovery Plan
Last night President-elect Joe Biden announced his Build Back Better Recovery Plan, which outlines historic investment in Research & Development in markets “where global leadership is up for grabs,” including “battery technology … and clean energy.”
“The lead battery industry, with its strong domestic supply chain, is ideally positioned to…
LOGISTEC and Gulf Stream Marine Continue Their Commitment to Green Marine Environmental Program by Certifying Five Terminals in the U.S. Gulf Coast
LOGISTEC Corporation (“LOGISTEC”) and its U.S. Gulf Coast affiliate, Gulf Stream Marine, Inc. (“GSM”), are proud to announce the addition of five terminals in Texas that will be certified as part of the Green Marine Environmental Certification Program. GSM’s Corpus Christi, Manchester, Brownsville, Care, and Freeport terminals in Texas…
Trails Carolina is Helping Adolescents Dealing with the Effects of COVID-19
Trails Carolina, a leading wilderness therapy program for teens ages 10-17, has been helping adolescents struggling with the effects of COVID. The pandemic has had an immeasurable impact on the mental health of many, and Trails Carolina believes that their wilderness setting has been a healing place for teens…
The Paris Agreement entered into force for the United States on 19 February 2021
UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued the following statement on US steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on Climate Change:
“I warmly welcome President Biden’s steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and join the growing coalition of governments, cities, states, businesses and people taking ambitious action to confront the climate crisis.
Following last year’s Climate Ambition Summit, countries producing half of global carbon pollution had committed to carbon neutrality. Today’s commitment by President Biden brings that figure to two-thirds. But there is a very long way to go. The climate crisis continues to worsen and time is running out to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and build more climate-resilient societies that help to protect the most vulnerable.
We look forward to the leadership of the United States in accelerating global efforts towards net zero, including by bringing forward a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) with ambitious 2030 targets and climate finance in advance of COP26 in Glasgow later this year.
I am committed to working closely with President Biden and other leaders to overcome the climate emergency, and recover better from COVID-19”.
UN Climate…
2020 was one of three warmest years on record
The year 2020 was one of the three warmest on record and rivaled 2016 for the top spot, according to a consolidation of five leading international datasets by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). A naturally occurring cooling climate phenomenon, La Niña, put a brake on the heat only at the very end of the year.
All five datasets surveyed by WMO concur that 2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record, in a persistent long-term climate change trend. The warmest six years have all been since 2015, with 2016, 2019, and 2020 being the top three. The differences in average global temperatures among the three warmest years – 2016, 2019, and 2020 – are indistinguishably small. The average global temperature in 2020 was about 14.9°C, 1.2 (± 0.1) °C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) level.
“The confirmation by the World Meteorological Organization that 2020 was one of the warmest years on record is yet another stark reminder of the relentless pace of climate change, which is destroying lives and livelihoods across our planet. Today, we are at 1.2 degrees of warming and already witnessing unprecedented weather extremes in every region and…
Humane Farming Association Sues MA Attorney General Over Anti-Cruelty Law
Today the Humane Farming Association (HFA) – a national farm-animal protection organization with 270,000 members – filed suit against Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey for her failure to promulgate regulations to improve conditions for egg-laying hens as required by state law. The suit is intended…
WDA Campaigns for a Dog and Cat Meat Ban, Creating an Epitome of Animal Protection
In late 2014, the FBI announced it would make animal cruelty a Group A felony with its own category that would track crimes nationwide — the same way homicide, arson, and assault are listed. Ever since the measure was put into practice in 2016, many countries have followed suit…
Strategic Partnership to Clean Toxins From Water and Soil in Hawaii and Guam
ecoSPEARS, a clean technology developer in Orlando, FL, announced its strategic partnership with the Hawaii-based engineering services company Element Environmental (E2HI). The collaboration between ecoSPEARS and E2HI will accelerate green remediation solutions in Hawaii, Guam, and Asia-Pacific countries. The pair has already secured remediation…
Neutrinovoltaic Will Supply Infinite Energy in the Age of Homo Electricus
Currently, global society is on life support in the form of fossil fuels. Holger Thorsten Schubart and his team at the Neutrino Energy Group hope to put humanity back on its feet, ready to face a new era from a position of freedom and independence.
Neutrinovoltaic…
Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, reestablishing America's role in the global effort to combat climate change
By Michael Bentley / Newsdesk EditorIn recognition of the four concurrent crises facing our nation, President Joe Biden took executive action yesterday on issues including racial equity, immigration, the ongoing COVID pandemic, and climate change. On the issue of climate change, the President has taken numerous actions consistent with the longstanding U.S. Conference of Mayors‘ (USCM) policy. Most notably, he rejoined the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, reestablishing America’s role in the global effort to combat climate change and revoked executive actions by the Trump Administration that threatened the nation’s public health and environment. In response to these Day One actions, USCM President and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer issued the following statement:
“The rejection of science that has guided our nation’s posture regarding climate change over the last four years has left mayors and local leaders to pick up a discarded mantle of environmental leadership. In response, American mayors prioritized local investments in sustainable infrastructure, supported development of innovative technologies and redoubled efforts to maintain and expand national obligations under the Paris Agreement, despite a federal government that had abandoned its international role.
“America’s mayors welcome the Federal Government back to the climate change fight. We are grateful to have a federal partner who is willing to work with us to expand local climate solutions to protect our health and spur our economy. We applaud President Biden for elevating issues related to environmental justice, in recognition of the disparities felt by those in underserved communities, and we look forward to collaborating to create a new, healthier, cleaner, and more…
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Northern Virginia Regional Commission Releases Climate Resilience Dashboard for Region
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The dashboard offers information on existing and future climate-related stressors impacting Northern Virginia to enable users…
Innovative Solution Against Toxic Algae Has Been Approved for Commercial Use in California
BlueGreen Water Technologies, Ltd., a global water tech company, announced that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation had approved its proprietary algaecide, Lake Guard® Oxy, for commercial application in California.
In the past year, Californians witnessed a marked increase in the number, frequency, and severity of toxic algal blooms (aka…
After COVID-19 caused humanity's Ecological Footprint to contract in 2020, pushing the date of Earth Overshoot Day more than three weeks compared to 2019, numerous organizations have responded to Global Footprint Network's appeal published January 1st to support action in order to #MoveTheDate by design in 2021 and thereafter
UNEP, UNICEF, UNESCO, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, Europe’s Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture Themis Christophidou, the EU’s Foreign & Security Policy Service, the CEO of the Scottish EPA Terry A’Hearn, UK-based charity Population Matters, the Green Economy Coalition, Slovenia’s Inštitut za zdravje in okolje, Germany’s Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, American youth NGO Turning Green, as well as energy leader Schneider Electric and other entities and individuals, have been responding on social media to the appeal by Global Footprint Network, published on January 1st, to grow the momentum to implement solutions that #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day by design, bringing human activity in balance with nature while addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
“While global agreements can powerfully support humanity’s progress towards a sustainable future, we cannot afford to wait before we take action, one city, one country, one company, one entity, one individual at a time. All of us are called to shaking off the status quo, letting our imaginations soar, embracing possibilities, and championing innovation in all shapes and forms. Ultimately, a constellation of life-sustaining actions is what is needed in order to #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day intentionally and…
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Antarctica NOW: Why does Antarctica Matter to All of Us?
Environmental Leaders Blast California’s Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife for Rubber Stamping Destruction of LA’s Ballona Wetlands
Environmentalists are denouncing a decision quietly released during the holidays by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, certifying an environmental review for a plan to destroy the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, LA’s last coastal wetlands and home to 1,700 species of wild animals and plants, from owls to…
CentraState Medical Has the Highest Percentage of Solar Energy of Any Hospital in New Jersey
KDC Solar LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CI Renewables LLC, has commenced commercial operations of its 1.6 megawatts (MW) solar carport at CentraState Medical in Freehold, New Jersey. The new system will generate approximately 2.1 million kilowatt-hours of solar electricity per year. This is the equivalent of approximately 253…
Governments’ Focus on Curbing Urban Air Pollution to Propel Adoption of Sensor and IoT Technologies
Range of air quality monitoring systems have come to the fore to enable government agencies and industry stakeholders to manage the deteriorating the quality of air, especially in urban spaces. New sensor and IoT-based technologies have made inroads which have transformed the way the particulate…
