Vibrant Environment

Recognizing that plastic pollution poses challenges to our environment and human health, the U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee begins its final scheduled round of negotiations tomorrow to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. A recent report co-authored by ELI indicates that plastics also have an impact on the climate.

Global sea levels rose more than expected in 2024, according to a recent scientific review conducted by researchers from the California Institute of Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the Spain and International Space Science Institute. 

In recent years, federal funding has played a significant role in the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure across the United States. In November 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, launching a suite of climate and transportation initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As the world grapples with the dual challenges of climate change and food security, innovative solutions are emerging at the intersection of agriculture and renewable energy. 2023 was the hottest year on record, over 2 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average.

As a college student who has been studying the environment for the past three years, I have simultaneously become more pessimistic and optimistic about solving climate change. On the one hand we have a lot of tools at our disposal to deal with climate change, yet on the other, those with the most power to do anything about it seem to lack the willpower and bravery to put climate over profit.

Cities have an outsized carbon footprint and are on the frontlines of adapting to climate change impacts. Rising to the challenge, many cities have developed climate action plans (CAP) that include measures that can be taken to achieve targeted greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions.

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, resulting in devastating climate and environmental disruption. According to the Third National Climate Assessment, the Artic is experiencing earlier spring snowmelt, reduced sea ice, widespread glacier retreat, warmer permafrost, drier landscapes, and more intense wildfires, rendering parts of the region uninhabitable. 

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted on December 23, 1973, with the goal of protecting species vulnerable to extinction and conserving the ecosystems and habitats necessary for their survival. The ESA mandates that the federal government maintain a list of all “endangered” and “threatened” species and develop and implement recovery plans, with the objective of removing species from the list.

What we grow and produce in America affects our air, water, climate, wildlife, public health, and more. The Farm Bill is likely the most significant environmental law Congress will address this year. It is also directly influenced by federal policy, and most importantly the Farm Bill, a collection of government programs that requires renewal every five years. The sprawling legislation governs initiatives from farm subsidies to low-income nutrition support.

It will surprise no one that Inflation Reduction Act implementation is a critical priority for 2024. Eighteen months after the IRA was signed, we’re starting to see the shape, scale, and strategy of some of its programs, and how its nearly $400 billion is being put into play to help realize the transition to a clean energy economy.