Month: November 2020

Luis Magaña Has Spent 20 Years Advocating for Farmworkers, But He’s Never Seen Anything Like This

Inside Climate News discusses Luis Magaña Has Spent 20 Years Advocating for Farmworkers, But He’s Never Seen Anything Like This. The Covid-19 pandemic and the megafires have made it clear to him: Farmworkers need much better protections.

The hardest harvest season Luis Magaña has known in half a century in California’s San Joaquin Valley is winding down. Produce stands are getting boarded up, fields are clearing and farmworkers are scrambling for busboy jobs and day labor.

Magaña, 65, picked and planted in the valley for nearly 30 years before becoming a full-time advocate for farmworkers 20 years ago. He knows the seasonal patterns well, or did. Every year, for example, when harvest wraps up, he organizes a Day of the Dead commemoration in Stockton, a small city ringed by agricultural lands where he and thousands of farmworkers live.

Toxic “Forever Chemicals” under-investigated and under-regulated

Technology Networks discusses Toxic “Forever Chemicals” under-investigated and under-regulated.

Per-/poly-fluroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are everywhere. They are used in firefighting foam, car wax, and even fast-food wrappers. They’re one of the most toxic substances ever identified—harmful at concentrations in the parts per trillion—yet very little is known about them. PFAS, which is a class of over 3000 compounds, are only regulated at the state level, so while some states are working to aggressively tackle the problem, other states have chosen to ignore PFAS completely, leaving concentrations unknown and health risks unexplored.

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Japan net zero emissions pledge puts coal in the spotlight

Climate Change News discusses Japan net zero emissions pledge puts coal in the spotlight. Prime minister Yoshihide Suga has promised to “fundamentally shift” Japan’s coal policy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Japan will slash its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, the prime minster announced on Monday – a major shift in climate ambition for the world’s third largest economy.

Yoshihide Suga indicated his government would rethink its reliance on coal, instead backing solar power and “carbon recycling” – capturing carbon dioxide emissions for various industrial applications.

“I declare we will aim to realise a decarbonised society,” Suga said in his first policy address to parliament since taking office.

“Responding to climate change is no longer a constraint on economic growth. We need to change our thinking to the view that taking assertive measures against climate change will lead to changes in industrial structure and the economy that will bring about great growth.”