Environmental & Social Justice

This project launched at the end of September with a live story-based performance during the two-hour train ride to Sacramento, and discussion sessions on the return trip to Oakland. These stories will be made available as podcasts that can be accessed via smart phone app or computer by travelers and others interested in the past, present, and future of California and regional history. Read more

Climate change could initially benefit rich countries while damaging the economies of poor nations. That’s the conclusion of a new way of modelling its impact, which challenges earlier forecasts. Previous methods of estimating the economic effects of climate change usually looked at how individual sectors like agriculture or tourism would be affected, then added them all up to give the net effect on each country’s economy.

How do activists know how many trucks rumble through neighborhoods surrounding Port Newark, belching diesel fumes that aggravate the breathing problems of residents? They count them, one at a time, as the rigs roll by. ... Volunteers at the three Ironbound locations counted a total of 1,100 trucks during a 45-minute period, said Isella Ramirez, environmental justice coordinator for the Ironbound Community Corporation, neighborhood non-profit group.

Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods (IVAN) is an innovative program of environmental monitoring, reporting, and enforcement in California. It is intended to improve health and conditions of well-being in disadvantaged communities where residents face high levels of environmental hazards and low levels of the economic, political, and social resources need to address them.

Community solar is on the move. Just a few weeks ago, Minnesota’s Xcel Energy opened up a solicitation for new community solar projects. Expecting approximately 100 megawatts to be proposed, it received more than four times that amount.