Published in Island Press·3 days agoMusk: Make Austin an Ecological Paradiseby Jessica Edwards Like many Austinites, I was excited when I learned that Tesla was moving its headquarters to Texas. As a practicing physician and Climate Health Equity Fellow, I was especially glad to learn that Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, promised that the new factory would be an “ecological paradise.” Musk’s promise seems…Texas3 min read
Published in Island Press·Aug 1SEC: Step up on climate changeby Daniel Reich It is no secret that time is running out to address climate change. The Earth is now warmer than any time since before the last ice age. Children born this year could live to see parts of the Eastern seaboard swallowed by the ocean and, by the end of this…Climate Change4 min read
Published in Island Press·Jul 21US health care rises to meet the climate crisis, bringing opportunity for transformationby Gary Cohen Americans are seeing and feeling the impacts of the climate crisis in their daily lives. In the last two years, there have been 42 extreme weather events collectively costing $245 billion and taking the lives of over 1,000 people. …Healthcare5 min read
Published in Island Press·Jun 29We Need to Stop Traffic Deaths. But Is Policing Really the Answer?by Olatunji Oboi Reed To some, it may sound like a beautiful vision: zero traffic fatalities on our nation’s highways and streets. For Black people, however, Vision Zero has an ugly underside. First implemented in Sweden and now embraced by dozens of American cities and states, Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all…Traffic5 min read
Published in Island Press·Jun 29Congress must fish or cut bait on marine aquacultureby Nicholas P. Sullivan Most of the seafood Americans eat is farmed shrimp and salmon, along with canned tuna — often from the other side of the world. The U.S., …Fishing4 min read
Jun 29Healing from Trauma by Building for HealthBy Laurie Mazur Uvalde. Buffalo. Tulsa. These are only the latest American cities to be engulfed in trauma from a ceaseless wave of gun violence. And the spasms of bloodshed those cities have endured are layered on top of ongoing harms, like structural racism, disinvestment, and inequity. …Public Health6 min read
Jun 28We, as a Nation, Are Failing Black Children: A Call to ActionBy Jacqui Patterson and Nsedu Obot Witherspoon We are mamas, aunties, and sisters. We are public health practitioners, racial justice activists, and social justice champions. And we are raising the alarm about the plight of Black children in these United States. To this end, today, we announce the release of…Racism4 min read
Published in Island Press·Jun 22Calls to boost natural gas can’t ignore fuel combustion’s deadly impactsby Shelley Robbins Natural gas is in the headlines as the war in Ukraine continues, cementing the U.S. as the world leader in gas exports. At home, groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce argue for more gas-fired power, citing the need for reliability in advance of the summer cooling season. …Natural Gas4 min read
Published in Island Press·Jun 22Is It Time to Reimagine the American Schoolyard?by Rochelle Davis and Gerald W. Adelmann Harold Washington Elementary School in the Burnside neighborhood on the south side of Chicago got a new schoolyard in 2020. It features a running track, sports fields and playground equipment — but what Washington’s Principal Sherri Walker likes best are the little conversational groupings of rocks. “It’s so special for…Schools5 min read
Published in Island Press·Jun 22Plastic is littering our environment and our bodiesby Pragya Rai You may have seen the now-iconic video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw lodged in its nose. It is well known that plastic has invaded every corner of the planet, from Mt. Everest, the tallest peak on Earth, to the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot in the ocean. …Plastic4 min read