In the decade since I’ve moved away from California, I’ve watched the climate there go from a temperate paradise with the occasional fire to a place with scorching summers and yearly infernos. This is climate change, playing out right in front of us. It’s easy to see these and other disasters from afar and not call them climate catastrophes. But that’s exactly what they are.
“The COVID pandemic has exposed what happens when we fail to plan for an emergency,” said Jen Duggan, Vice President and Director of CLF Vermont. “This bill will make sure that we don’t make the same mistake when it comes to the urgent threat of the climate crisis. It will also help make our communities stronger and boost our economic recovery from COVID-19. Governor Scott must sign it into law so we can get to work.”
As we celebrate the four-year anniversary of New England’s national monuments, CLF is part of a growing movement of scientists, policymakers, businesses, and conservation organizations in the United States and around the world calling for the global protection of at least 30% of land and 30% of the ocean by 2030.
This new rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA) explores how transit-oriented development impacts health and contributes to social, environmental, and economic changes. A collaboration between the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Conservation Law Foundation
UPDATE: Temperatures across the Northeast have soared this summer. As emissions rise and climate change worsens, extreme heat becomes more common and more people face these deadly conditions. We need to take action to prevent things from getting even worse — and to help those most affected.
Amid a raging pandemic, one that is hitting Black and Brown communities particularly hard, already-vulnerable communities find themselves even more threatened by the possibility of a significant storm hitting Massachusetts. That makes it more imperative than ever that we plan now for the storm season still to come.
In times of change and upheaval, there is also room for hope and inspiration. While we collectively have much hard work ahead of us, we also have much to commend. Our hope is that this report offers insight into the work that your support makes possible – and inspiration for what we know we can accomplish together.
“Electric cars, trucks, and buses are the future,” said CLF Senior Attorney Emily Green. “Cutting transportation emissions to zero is a critical piece of confronting the climate crisis and protecting public health from toxic exhaust. This is yet another example of states leading the way while the federal government turns back the clock on environmental progress.
Our recovery from the coronavirus must be more than just a return to the status quo. Along with helping us rebuild our local economies and communities, recovery must also lead to a more resilient, healthier state for all Vermonters.
Several studies have emerged challenging the effectiveness of plastic bag bans. These studies and their coverage in the media are causing some confusion among consumers and legislators. We want to set the record straight, as studies critiquing plastic bag bans don’t account for the broader scope of plastics.
