Written by Moms Clean Air Force

Moms Clean Air Force went to Washington to push Congress to make bold climate investments and to advocate for stronger health protections at the EPA.

YOU CAN HELP THIS LOUISIANA TRIBAL COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY HURRICANE IDA Many small coastal communities across southeast and south-central Louisiana are relying on support from neighbors and strangers as they recover from the devastation from Hurricane Ida. Restore the Mississippi River Delta is working to highlight some of those communities, and the opportunities to help them as they recover and rebuild in the wake of this storm. Seventy miles below New Orleans in coastal Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, in ...

Read The Full Story

The post The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe Needs Your Help appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

YOU CAN HELP THIS LOUISIANA TRIBAL COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY HURRICANE IDA Many small coastal communities across southeast and south-central Louisiana are relying on support from neighbors and strangers as they recover from the devastation from Hurricane Ida. Restore the Mississippi River Delta is working to highlight some of those communities, and the opportunities to help them as they recover and rebuild in the wake of this storm. Seventy miles below New Orleans in coastal Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, in ...

Read The Full Story

The post The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe Needs Your Help appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Dr. Maria Doa will join EDF’s Healthy Communities team as Senior Director, Chemical Policy.

This week on Delta Dispatches, we’re excited to welcome Kate Orff, Founding Principal of SCAPE. Jacques and Simone talk with her about the role nature can play in adapting to climate change, how she is reimaging landscape architecture through her studio, as well as on-the-ground restoration opportunities from Louisiana to New York. SCAPE’s recent work includes OurFutureCoast.org (https://www.ourfuturecoast.org/) and Kate was featured in the New Yorker in the story “The Seas Are Rising. Could Oysters Help” (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-seas-are-rising-could-oysters-protect-us).   Listen Now:

The post Delta Dispatches: Nature’s Role in Climate Adaptation with SCAPE’s Kate Orff appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

This week on Delta Dispatches, we’re excited to welcome Kate Orff, Founding Principal of SCAPE. Jacques and Simone talk with her about the role nature can play in adapting to climate change, how she is reimaging landscape architecture through her studio, as well as on-the-ground restoration opportunities from Louisiana to New York. SCAPE’s recent work includes OurFutureCoast.org (https://www.ourfuturecoast.org/) and Kate was featured in the New Yorker in the story “The Seas Are Rising. Could Oysters Help” (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-seas-are-rising-could-oysters-protect-us).   Listen Now:

The post Delta Dispatches: Nature’s Role in Climate Adaptation with SCAPE’s Kate Orff appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta is proud to present our “Community Guide to Coastal Restoration.” This is a quick reference guide to help you -whether you are new to coastal restoration or very familiar with it – better understand and navigate the web of entities, decision-makers, and funding sources involved in the restoration of our coast. It is available both online, and as a physical booklet. Many in Louisiana are familiar with the land loss crisis the state is facing. We often ...

Read The Full Story

The post Knowledge is Power: Introducing a New Guide to Coastal Restoration! appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta is proud to present our “Community Guide to Coastal Restoration.” This is a quick reference guide to help you -whether you are new to coastal restoration or very familiar with it – better understand and navigate the web of entities, decision-makers, and funding sources involved in the restoration of our coast. It is available both online, and as a physical booklet. Many in Louisiana are familiar with the land loss crisis the state is facing. We often ...

Read The Full Story

The post Knowledge is Power: Introducing a New Guide to Coastal Restoration! appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Diverse production systems make for a healthier, more climate-resilient agricultural economy.

The post How a diversity of crops, geographies and farms makes North Carolina’s agriculture sector uniquely resilient first appeared on Growing Returns.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Lead Senior Scientist. After nearly 35 years at EDF, I am retiring this week. While I have had the privilege of working on many things in my time at EDF, for the last 20+ years my main focus has been on the Toxic Substances Control Act: making the case for why […]

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Lead Senior Scientist. After nearly 35 years at EDF, I am retiring this week. While I have had the privilege of working on many things in my time at EDF, for the last 20+ years my main focus has been on the Toxic Substances Control Act: making the case for why […]

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Lead Senior Scientist. After nearly 35 years at EDF, I am retiring this week. While I have had the privilege of working on many things in my time at EDF, for the last 20+ years my main focus has been on the Toxic Substances Control Act: making the case for why […]

The post Not goodbye, but see you later first appeared on EDF Health.

4 ways to make this year’s climate summit a turning point for our planet

Nearly one in three Americans lived through a climate-related disaster during this past summer.

One of the first signs of fall, at least for me, is what’s known as Climate Week, which took place last week alongside the annual United Nations General Assembly in NYC.

This year felt more urgent than ever. Climate change is now an unavoidable global emergency. So the momentum generated by Climate Week needs to be ramped up considerably when global leaders meet again at the U.N. climate summit — known as COP26 — in November.

What needs to happen between Climate Week and COP26?

1. Countries must amp up their emission reduction targets.

Current targets, agreed to in the Paris accord, simply aren’t good enough to avert disastrous climate impacts. We all need to do better.

While many countries including the U.S., EU and the U.K. have established new, ambitious reduction targets, others need to step up, including Russia, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, India and China.

During Climate Week, President Xi Jinping pledged that China would not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. This is encouraging news, and we look forward to seeing that policy implemented.

All participating countries must submit new targets before COP26 begins. This moment demands action. Countries must commit to — and then deliver on — bold, ambitious plans to slash climate pollution. The vitality of our earth depends on it.

Take action: Now is the time to go bold on climate

2. Wealthy nations must come to the table with strong commitments.

Richer countries need to not only meet but build upon the $100 billion-per-year commitment, previously agreed to in the Paris Agreement, for climate finance for developing nations. Financial support for the most vulnerable countries needs to be top of mind when the world’s major economies gather at the G20 summit in Rome in October.

President Biden announced that his administration would seek to double aid aimed at helping developing nations address climate change — to about $11.4 billion a year by 2024. That would be an excellent start, but it’s uncertain because it requires congressional approval.

The U.S. pledge is considered one key to the success of COP26. Its fate will be closely tied to the success of Biden’s climate agenda in Congress.

If Congress doesn’t come through with significant climate and clean energy action in the coming weeks, the U.S. will have much less to bring to the table at COP26. But I am still hopeful that sanity will prevail.

3. Businesses need to support strong climate policies.

Businesses have to put their lobbying muscle where their mouth is on climate.

Right now, that means advocating for Biden’s climate provisions and helping get the bill across the finish line. I recently joined the CEOs of 12 environment and sustainability groups calling on businesses to do just that.

If businesses support climate action globally, they must also support the achievement of global goals by backing strong U.S. climate policy, as GM, Salesforce and other companies recently did. This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to pass meaningful climate and clean energy legislation, and business support is critical to get these provisions over the finish line.

In addition to supporting smart climate policy, businesses like Amazon and Microsoft recently pledged ambitious net zero emissions targets. This is great, and it is also building momentum for voluntary carbon markets.

However, we need to ensure that when businesses use carbon credits, they only use high-quality credits and they do so alongside internal reductions — this will reduce climate pollution faster, stimulate innovation and help drive investment in tropical forests and other urgent areas of climate action.

Businesses can also help support policies that clean up transportation — the top source of climate pollution in the U.S. — by driving investment in sustainable fuels and tech innovation to cut transport’s impact and by electrifying transportation and fleets.

Recently, IKEA, Nestle, eBay and others publicly called for the wide adoption of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule. And Ford just announced a historic $11.4 billion in investment in electric cars and trucks.

4. Countries must move quickly to slash methane pollution.

Cutting methane pollution is the single best chance we have to slow the rate of warming now, even as we accelerate the shift to a clean economy.

The U.S. and the European Union announced a Global Methane Pledge to galvanize international support for fast actions to cut emissions of methane — a pollutant that drives 25% of the warming we experience today.

In October, the U.S. is set to propose strong Environmental Protection Agency methane standards that will limit pollution from oil and gas production. This is the first U.S. action to begin delivering on its pledge commitment. Meanwhile, we expect to see more countries rally behind the methane pledge in the lead up to COP26 in Glasgow and make their commitments known.

The increasing number of oil and gas producing and consuming countries backing the pledge is an important sign of growing political will to address industry’s methane problem and deliver deep reductions now — while we continue to scale solutions to address other methane sources.

There’s no denying that the climate moment is now. We must be prepared to go bold on climate and use the biggest levers, the wealthiest economies and the fastest actions to ensure a vital earth for everyone.

Take action: Now is the time to go bold on climate Act when it matters most

Every day more than 60 people sign up for news and alerts, to find out when their support helps most. Will you join them? (Read our privacy statement.)

Donate to support this work $35 $50 mmelendez September 29, 2021 - 10:10

4 ways to make this year’s climate summit a turning point for our planet

Nearly one in three Americans lived through a climate-related disaster during this past summer.

One of the first signs of fall, at least for me, is what’s known as Climate Week, which took place last week alongside the annual United Nations General Assembly in NYC.

This year felt more urgent than ever. Climate change is now an unavoidable global emergency. So the momentum generated by Climate Week needs to be ramped up considerably when global leaders meet again at the U.N. climate summit — known as COP26 — in November.

What needs to happen between Climate Week and COP26?

1. Countries must amp up their emission reduction targets.

Current targets, agreed to in the Paris accord, simply aren’t good enough to avert disastrous climate impacts. We all need to do better.

While many countries including the U.S., EU and the U.K. have established new, ambitious reduction targets, others need to step up, including Russia, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, India and China.

During Climate Week, President Xi Jinping pledged that China would not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. This is encouraging news, and we look forward to seeing that policy implemented.

All participating countries must submit new targets before COP26 begins. This moment demands action. Countries must commit to — and then deliver on — bold, ambitious plans to slash climate pollution. The vitality of our earth depends on it.

Take action: Now is the time to go bold on climate

2. Wealthy nations must come to the table with strong commitments.

Richer countries need to not only meet but build upon the $100 billion-per-year commitment, previously agreed to in the Paris Agreement, for climate finance for developing nations. Financial support for the most vulnerable countries needs to be top of mind when the world’s major economies gather at the G20 summit in Rome in October.

President Biden announced that his administration would seek to double aid aimed at helping developing nations address climate change — to about $11.4 billion a year by 2024. That would be an excellent start, but it’s uncertain because it requires congressional approval.

The U.S. pledge is considered one key to the success of COP26. Its fate will be closely tied to the success of Biden’s climate agenda in Congress.

If Congress doesn’t come through with significant climate and clean energy action in the coming weeks, the U.S. will have much less to bring to the table at COP26. But I am still hopeful that sanity will prevail.

3. Businesses need to support strong climate policies.

Businesses have to put their lobbying muscle where their mouth is on climate.

Right now, that means advocating for Biden’s climate provisions and helping get the bill across the finish line. I recently joined the CEOs of 12 environment and sustainability groups calling on businesses to do just that.

If businesses support climate action globally, they must also support the achievement of global goals by backing strong U.S. climate policy, as GM, Salesforce and other companies recently did. This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to pass meaningful climate and clean energy legislation, and business support is critical to get these provisions over the finish line.

In addition to supporting smart climate policy, businesses like Amazon and Microsoft recently pledged ambitious net zero emissions targets. This is great, and it is also building momentum for voluntary carbon markets.

However, we need to ensure that when businesses use carbon credits, they only use high-quality credits and they do so alongside internal reductions — this will reduce climate pollution faster, stimulate innovation and help drive investment in tropical forests and other urgent areas of climate action.

Businesses can also help support policies that clean up transportation — the top source of climate pollution in the U.S. — by driving investment in sustainable fuels and tech innovation to cut transport’s impact and by electrifying transportation and fleets.

Recently, IKEA, Nestle, eBay and others publicly called for the wide adoption of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule. And Ford just announced a historic $11.4 billion in investment in electric cars and trucks.

4. Countries must move quickly to slash methane pollution.

Cutting methane pollution is the single best chance we have to slow the rate of warming now, even as we accelerate the shift to a clean economy.

The U.S. and the European Union announced a Global Methane Pledge to galvanize international support for fast actions to cut emissions of methane — a pollutant that drives 25% of the warming we experience today.

In October, the U.S. is set to propose strong Environmental Protection Agency methane standards that will limit pollution from oil and gas production. This is the first U.S. action to begin delivering on its pledge commitment. Meanwhile, we expect to see more countries rally behind the methane pledge in the lead up to COP26 in Glasgow and make their commitments known.

The increasing number of oil and gas producing and consuming countries backing the pledge is an important sign of growing political will to address industry’s methane problem and deliver deep reductions now — while we continue to scale solutions to address other methane sources.

There’s no denying that the climate moment is now. We must be prepared to go bold on climate and use the biggest levers, the wealthiest economies and the fastest actions to ensure a vital earth for everyone.

Take action: Now is the time to go bold on climate Act when it matters most

Every day more than 60 people sign up for news and alerts, to find out when their support helps most. Will you join them? (Read our privacy statement.)

Donate to support this work $35 $50 mmelendez September 29, 2021 - 10:10

By Julia Rose and Christopher Cusack The generation of goods and services on or for the oceans has been growing exponentially in recent years. Industries such as shipping, marine tourism, aquaculture and renewable energy contribute to a “Blue Economy” that employed 2.3 million Americans and generated $373 billion for the U.S. economy in 2018. By […]

Written by Trisha Dello Iacono

The Build Back Better Act is a massive investment package containing many of President Biden’s policy priorities. Here are a few we are watching.

Written by Diane MacEachern

In a video interview, we had a hopeful conversation with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe about her new book, SAVING US. We discussed everything from faith to family to pushing forward for real change.

Statement of EDF President Fred Krupp

Together with Third Way, EDF co-hosted a Climate Week 2021 event on how U.S. climate innovation policy can accelerate a cleaner, stronger and more equitable economy. Here are four big takeaways. (Caption: Speakers included Mandela Barnes, Lieutenant Governor, Wisconsin; Chris Deschene, Board Member, National InterTribal Energy Council; Jason Walsh, Executive Director, BlueGreen Alliance; Jetta Wong, […]

The post Beyond R&D: Climate innovation policy can help the U.S. meet the moment appeared first on Climate 411.

Together with Third Way, EDF co-hosted a Climate Week 2021 event on how U.S. climate innovation policy can accelerate a cleaner, stronger and more equitable economy. Here are four big takeaways. (Caption: Speakers included Mandela Barnes, Lieutenant Governor, Wisconsin; Chris Deschene, Board Member, National InterTribal Energy Council; Jason Walsh, Executive Director, BlueGreen Alliance; Jetta Wong, […]