Planet Week: Monsoon rains flood Bangladesh
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our planet.
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our planet.
Last week, mines — and their potentially disastrous implications — made headlines in Montana, Alaska, and the Amazon. Researchers found that Australian wildfires killed or displaced 3 billion animals. And catastrophic flooding is putting in question China’s extensive network of dams, including the famous Three Gorges Dam.
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the planet:
Monday, July 27
Oil giants fund the police
Fossil fuel industries accused of driving environmental injustice in minority communities also fund powerful police groups in major U.S. cities, a new investigation finds.
This news comes after over two months of protests against police brutality, amid a pandemic exposing disparities in air pollution, clean water, and pre-existing medical conditions for people of color and Native Americans. The report depicts the fossil fuel industry as a common enemy for those fighting for racial and environmental justice.
“Black Lives Matter is about environmental justice, economic justice, racial justice, and about stamping out racism in the criminal justice system,” Robert Bullard, co-chair of the National Black Environmental Justice Network, told The Guardian. “Racism was stamped into America’s DNA. America is segregated, and so is pollution.”
The media propped up climate misinformation
How come people, despite overwhelming evidence, are still slow to take climate change seriously? The roots of climate denialism may be found in the media, according to a new study.
The study analyzed more than 1,750 press releases about climate change, published in America’s three largest newspapers over 30 years. It found that 14% of press releases published contained arguments against climate action, while only 7% contained arguments for it.
The imbalance may come back to journalist norms of objectivity, which has historically weighed both sides of the story, even when one side is made of mostly opinions and the other is backed by science and facts. Grist has more.
Tuesday, July 28
Monsoon rains flood Bangladesh
At least a quarter of Bangladesh is underwater after devastating monsoon rains soaked the country last week. Millions of people were affected and at least 93 people were reported dead as of July 25.
Monsoon seasons typically dump heavy rain from June to September, and play an important role in the region’s agriculture, but scientists have warned that climate change is changing these patterns. With increased flooding and cyclones, Bangladesh may lose more than 10% of its land to rising seas caused by climate change — which, if true, would displace 18 million people.
The monsoons in Bangladesh highlight the growing inequity of the climate crisis: Those least responsible for climate change are bearing the brunt of its impacts. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Wednesday, July 29
2019 was the deadliest year for environmental activists
Last year was the deadliest year for environmental activists, according to a report released Wednesday by watchdog organization Global Witness. The report found that in 2019, 212 people were killed for standing up to environmental destruction.
Over half the killings happened in two countries — Colombia and the Philippines — with agribusiness, logging, oil, gas, and mining driving the violence. Indigenous communities were disproportionately attacked, accounting for 40% of those killed.
The killings have a larger implication for the overall fight against climate change, said Global Citizen’s Rachel Cox, in a statement: “If we really want to make plans for a green recovery that puts the safety, health and well-being of people at its heart, we must tackle the root causes of attacks on defenders, and follow their lead in protecting the environment and halting climate breakdown.” Read the story by Mongabay.
Thursday, July 30
Flooding can crush GDP by 2100
New findings suggest 20% of the global GDP could be sunk by 2100, under a coastal flooding worst case scenario. And this flooding is likely to happen whether or not humans take action to cut emissions in the next few decades, according to the researchers.
They analyzed two scenarios: One in which emissions continue to rise, and the other in which emissions peak by 2040 then start to fall.
“Surprisingly, the global flooding under the lower greenhouse gas case is not that much lower,” Ian Young, one of the authors of the study, told CBS News. “Even if we reduce the greenhouse gas level, the melting of the glaciers will continue. This means that we are going to have to look at adaptation, irrespective of the greenhouse gas concentrations.”
Air quality still sucks for low-income communities
New numbers on the U.S.’s air pollution are in, and they highlight nationwide disparities. While soot pollution has dropped over the last 40 years, the most polluted areas in 1981 are still the most polluted today. These areas primarily house people of color and low-income communities.
“Federal and state guidelines aim for all people and places to enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental hazards,” University of Virginia economist Jonathan Colmer, one of the authors of the study, told NPR. “We’re falling short in terms of addressing relative disparities.”
Planet Weekend
Tropical Storm Isaias makes landfall
Tropical Storm Isaias, the earliest-recorded ninth named storm — beating the last record by a full week — made landfall in Florida early Sunday morning after hitting Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas last week. The resulting floods left at least one person dead.
We can add Isaias to the list of crazy storms in the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season: Two storms formed before the season officially began, Tropical Storm Cristobal crossed from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and we’ve recorded the earliest third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and, now, ninth named storms. Follow live updates from The New York Times.
Bonus: Don’t call it a comeback
Tiger populations are rising in five countries, offering hope for the future of the species. In 2010, the number of tigers in the wild hovered around 3,200. Now India alone has between 2,600 and 3,350, with additional population increases in Russia, Bhutan, China, and Nepal.
“Tigers can thrive happily given enough space, food and water,” Becci May, UK regional manager for the World Wildlife Fund, told BBC News. “Tiger conservation will not be successful without the support of governments and political will. And with a collective effort, we’ve shown that we can turn the tide for tigers.”
See you next week,
Brandon and Sam