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Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative What Happened: On November 2, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago held a meeting of more than 50 stakeholders interested in new strategies to fund and finance lead service line (LSL) replacements. I attended, representing the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative. Why It Matters: The meeting was an …

Sarah Vogel, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President, Healthy Communities Cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest, most effective ways to stabilize the climate. It can also improve public health.    Today, 130 countries are committed to cutting methane emissions by 30% by 2030 as part of the Global Methane Pledge. As countries work to meet these …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative and Roya Alkafaji, Manager, Healthy Communities Last year, the White House set a goal of eliminating lead service lines (LSLs) by 2032 and worked with Congress to enact the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—which included critical resources to help meet this …

Three new reports examine the potential of blue carbon pathways to act as natural climate solutions. By Kristin Kleisner, Monica Moritsch and Jamie Collins To address the climate crisis we need to explore every avenue possible, investigate innovative solutions, and even look to the oceans for answers. The oceans already serve the planet as a …

Providing more finance for tropical forest conservation is essential for stabilizing the climate, advancing sustainable, community-led development, and protecting the plants and animals that make our natural world so diverse and wondrous. Various tools can provide that finance.

Farmers have a long history of steadily increasing crop yields through technological innovation and improvements in management practices. However, as climate change makes weather more extreme and variable than ever before, productivity progress will likely stall by 2030 — even if the U.S. maintains past rates of R&D investment and innovation. Adaptation efforts must begin …

As the UN climate conference kicks off in Egypt, food and agriculture are central to negotiations for the first time. More severe droughts, warmer temperatures and heavier rainfall fueled by climate change are making it harder than ever for the world’s one billion farmers to grow food and fiber. While some farms and regions are …

New York State passes the historic Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 (Proposal One). The post EDF Celebrates the Passing of the NY Bond Act. first appeared on Growing Returns.

As climate change threatens agricultural production around the world, the agricultural finance institutions that work with farmers also face growing risk to their businesses — as well as untapped opportunities to help farmers prepare for climate impacts. A new report — The Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Finance — conducted by Environmental Defense Fund …

Between setting goals and disclosing progress, it is critical that companies develop a CTAP to ensure their targets are achieved. As partners who work to accelerate corporate action on climate change, We Mean Business Coalition, CDP, Ceres and Environmental Defense Fund have come together to help companies address their climate impacts by defining what should be in a CTAP.

This summer, California made national news by adopting a rule that will require all new passenger vehicle sales to be zero emission by 2035. At the same time, the state is also considering a complementary rule to replace medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses to also be zero emissions. To support this transition, California will …

By Scott Seymour and Ari Pottens Canada has set arguably some of the most ambitious goals of any country when it comes to reducing emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane. In addition to joining a global coalition of countries pledging to reduce 30% of their methane emissions, Canada has also vowed to reduce oil …

By Edwin LaMair and Grace Smith The US Congress recently passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that takes bold action to address the climate crisis and multiple independent analyses show the bill could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions some 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, providing important support for President Biden’s goal of halving emissions …

It is crucial to keep up the momentum on climate policy and continue to apply pressure on our elected leaders to equitably confront climate change.

Natural climate solutions, such as reforestation and wetland restoration, can help slow climate change and increase resilience in the face of climate impacts we can’t avoid. These approaches have substantial and growing support from bipartisan lawmakers, the private sector and environmental nonprofits. However, big questions remain: Where are these strategies most effective? To what extent can they meaningfully remove and reduce greenhouse gases? How will increased drought, fire and pest outbreaks impact their ability to stave off climate change? The post New report provides a science roadmap for natural climate solutions first appeared on Growing Returns.

We're making our presence felt at an event that you’ve likely never heard of, in a place environmentalists are rarely seen — the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference. Here's why.

Maritime shipping is a cornerstone of global supply chains and a major source of GHG emissions. The industry can move faster toward zero-carbon fuels.

  In the fall of 2021, after much effort by EDF and other stakeholders, Congress included $4.7 billion in funding as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to close as many “orphan” wells as possible, with a focus on leaky wells near communities. Last week, the first of these wells was plugged …

New Mexico is home to one of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the United States and a rich tapestry of cultures. New Mexicans love their state and take pride in keeping their land, air and water pristine for future generations. However, climate change poses a serious threat to the Land of Enchantment. Every year,

California’s electric grid is amongst the cleanest in the country, and it’s getting even cleaner. A new report launched by EDF and Clean Air Task Force contains a set of recommendations on how we can grow the electric grid.

In the intense August heat of Sacramento, the California Legislature wrapped another year of policymaking. The second year of the 2021-2022 legislative session included some significant wins on long-term climate ambition, environmental justice, and clean transportation investments, even as the state fell short in drought response and near-term climate goals. These achievements, coupled with the …

Amid music, laughter and a few tears, the latest cohort in EDF and Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s Water Leadership Institute graduated Saturday, enthusiastically committing to put their learnings into practice and tackle significant water challenges in their communities.

Arianna Mackey, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Summer 2022 Intern, shares her perspectives on how NGOs can inspire the next generation of Black climate leaders. The post My perspectives on how we can inspire the next generation of Black climate leaders. first appeared on Growing Returns.

By Lauren Ellis, MPH, Research Analyst, Safer Chemicals What’s New: A peer-reviewed study by Danish researchers found that a male fetus who is exposed to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—also known as “forever chemicals”) during early pregnancy is more likely to have lower sperm quality in early adulthood. It’s the first study to explore the …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals This is the sixth in our Unleaded Juice blog series exploring how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets limits for toxic elements like lead, arsenic, and cadmium in food and the implications for the agency’s Closer To Zero program.  A core tenet of FDA’s Closer to Zero program …