Runoff and raw sewage in the Tijuana River at the Mexico-United States border is exposing communities to a noxious mixture of toxic chemicals and microbes, a new report by researchers with the School of Public Health at San Diego State University (SDSU) said.

The contaminated river flows from Mexico into South San Diego, bringing industrial waste, untreated sewage and urban run-off that can linger in soils and become airborne, potentially creating widespread environmental health impacts, according to a press release from SDSU.

Congressperson Scott Peters requested the report be commissioned by the Conrad Prebys Foundation.

“This environmental catastrophe has hurt the region for many years, resulting in decades of adverse health consequences,” Peters said in the press release. “We must approach it as a health and national security concern, which is why I asked the Prebys Foundation to help me build the case that this crisis goes far beyond beach closures; the people of South Bay now endure constant toxic air pollution that damages their health and well-being.”

The U.S. Clean Water Act has classified the Tijuana River and Estuary (TJRE) as “an impaired water body,” the study said.

The researchers looked at more than 60 studies and reports that examined public health and environmental concerns related to the TJRE, the press release said.

More than 100 billion gallons of industrial waste, untreated sewage and urban runoff have been discharged into the Tijuana Estuary by way of the Tijuana River and tributaries — eventually making their way to the Pacific Ocean — over the past five years, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission.

The contamination has caused beaches to be closed for more than 700 consecutive days, greatly affecting visitors, local residents and economies. Additionally, U.S. Navy personnel, lifeguards, first responders and border patrol agents are faced with hazardous occupational health exposures.

“This is not a trickle of contamination,” said Paula Stigler Granados, lead author of the paper and an associate professor with the School of Public Health at SDSU, as The Guardian reported. “This is a large amount of contamination over a long period of time.”

The report said the pollution poses threats to the health of vulnerable groups like seniors, children, outdoor workers, pregnant women and other special populations. The polluted waters have been found to contain serious pathogens like antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which were believed to have been eradicated in California.

The findings prompted further investigations by SDSU researchers to gain a better understanding of the impacted communities’ public health exposure risk.

The report pointed out that area infrastructure could be further degraded and issues exacerbated by climate change and the resulting increased intensity of storms.

“There needs to be more research done to fully understand the extent of the risks posed by exposure to these dangerous contaminants,” Granados said in the press release. “Urgent interventions are needed to help reduce and address both the immediate and long-term potential health repercussions to those living near this hazardous environment.”

Paloma Aguirre, mayor of Imperial Beach, has called for the California Department of Public Health, San Diego County and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get involved and actively monitor the situation, as well as any public health concerns related to the sewage.

“Imperial Beach is unfortunately the poster child of what an environmental injustice looks like,” Aguirre said, as reported by The Guardian.

Aguirre has collaborated with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and SDSU’s School of Public Health to create a task force in recent months.

“The persistent health impacts greatly reduce the quality of life for the community,” Aguirre said. “It’s a challenging task, but now is the moment to ensure that our elderly, our children, and water enthusiasts are not exposed to heightened health hazards while simply trying to enjoy a sunny day. Tackling this problem promptly and effectively is essential, as it is closely linked to the health and well-being of South Bay communities. The residents of Imperial Beach are worthy of far more than what they have been handed down.”

It is also an environmental justice issue, the researchers said, since the often economically limited border communities are already dealing with an increased threat of chronic disease, potentially placing them at higher risk of having complications from the environmental hazards posed by the contamination.

These same border communities are also facing increases in pollution from other sources like idling vehicles at border crossings. Additionally, they are no longer able to access healthy outdoor spaces, since the beach and ocean are contaminated.

“This study confirms what should be obvious, which is that San Diego’s health and community well-being are being seriously and actively harmed by years of inaction on this issue,” said Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation, in the press release. “The good news is that it is fixable, and that leaders like Representative Peters and Mayor Aguirre and organizations like SDSU’s School of Public Health are working to make that happen. Their efforts deserve broad support, because public health in our region depends on a robust shared commitment to protecting everyone in every one of our communities from these sorts of preventable harms.”

The post Raw Sewage in Tijuana River at Mexico-U.S. Border a ‘Public Health Crisis’ appeared first on EcoWatch.

In 1980, Greg Kauffman — founder of nonprofit Maui Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) — started World Whale Day. A celebration of the humpback whales who grace Maui’s waters each winter, the holiday is observed on the third Sunday of February and is an opportunity to raise awareness about threats to the species. This year, World Whale Day falls on February 18.

When Kauffman started World Whale Day back in 1980, the North Pacific population of humpback whales consisted of only about 1,000 members and was at risk of extinction. Humpbacks were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

Today, the waters around Maui are visited by more than 21,000 humpback whales, partially due to the efforts of PWF to protect them through its conservation, education and research programs.

Many whale species have made remarkable recoveries, but many others remain vulnerable.

“The whales listed under the Endangered Species Act, such as the North Atlantic Right whales, are among the most threatened species in the world. These populations face many significant challenges to their survival,” Jens Currie, chief scientist at PWF, told EcoWatch. “Conversely, some whale populations are faring relatively better in terms of population numbers and sustainability. For example, certain populations of humpback whales, such as those in the North Pacific, have shown signs of recovery due to conservation efforts, including the implementation of protective measures and bans on commercial whaling. Although they still face various threats that could impact their long-term recovery. Overall, the status of whale populations varies depending on factors such as species, geographic location, and conservation efforts in place.”

On February 22, PWF’s annual Maui Whale Festival — which offers virtual and in-person activities honoring Maui’s whale population — will be celebrating the height of its whale season at OCEAN Organic Farm & Distillery. Those who present their digital or physical flier at Farm Café, Bar and Store between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. will generate a 10 percent donation from OCEAN for PWF’s education, conservation, research and outreach programs that work to protect marine life both locally and around the world.

Additionally, a virtual fundraiser — Race for Whales 2024 — is open to anyone in the United States. The event — during which participants are challenged to walk, run, paddle or swim 30 miles in 29 days — began on February 1 and runs through February 29. All those who complete the full 30 miles will be given a medal. A yearlong PWF Guide Membership, a 2024 Race for Whales T-shirt and tickets to June’s online film festival will be given to the top three fundraisers.

Today, whales all over the globe are faced with compounding threats, Currie said.

“The biggest threats to whales worldwide are ocean pollution, tourism pressure, fisheries interactions, climate change, and vessel traffic. It’s important to note that there is not one single greatest threat, as these factors act cumulatively, impacting the health of whale populations. At Pacific Whale Foundation, we prioritize mitigating these threats through targeted research and resulting conservation strategies,” Currie told EcoWatch.

PWF studies both humpback and blue whales with a mission to use advocacy and science to protect the ocean, inspire environmental stewardship and save whales from extinction. 

Research by PWF has found that rising ocean temperatures due to climate change have increased acidification that may alter the availability and distribution of prey species, having a negative effect on the health of cetaceans. It also found that whales and other large mammals will likely shift habitat ranges in response to climate change, and that these shifts could have adverse impacts on breeding and feeding grounds, as well as migration routes.

PWF programs work for the protection of whales and other marine animals. They use long-term research data to evaluate the health, habitat use and size of marine creatures. They also employ photo identification, tissue samples and visual data collection methods such as Unoccupied Aerial Systems in evaluating the health of populations and individuals.

PWF’s humpback whale research was instrumental in the development of whale watching best vessel practices in the Main Hawaiian Islands, endorsed by the office of the governor.

Humpback whale catalogs are maintained by PWF in three regions, representing the organization’s most comprehensive dataset. The catalogs date back to 1984 in East Australia, 1981 in Hawai’i and 2001 in Ecuador.

“As a society and as individuals, we can help whales by reducing ocean pollution, supporting sustainable tourism practices, advocating for responsible fishing methods, mitigating climate change, and promoting awareness and education about whale conservation as well as supporting ongoing research efforts. These actions are crucial for safeguarding the well-being of whale populations worldwide,” Currie told EcoWatch.

Currie pointed out that the prognosis for whales and their habitats in the future “depends largely on our collective actions.”

“While challenges such as ocean pollution, climate change, and human activities pose significant threats, there is hope through conservation efforts and increasing awareness. By implementing effective conservation measures, enforcing regulations, promoting sustainable practices, and fostering international collaboration, we can improve the outlook for whale species and their habitats. However, continued dedication and proactive measures are essential to ensure the long-term health and survival of whales and their ecosystems,” Currie said.

The post World Whale Day Celebrates Humpbacks and Raises Awareness of Threats appeared first on EcoWatch.

According to a new report from fossil fuel accountability organization the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), the plastics industry has known for decades that the widespread recycling of its products was not feasible, but continued to promote it and mislead the public.

Many of the fossil fuel companies that were aware and deceived the public about oil and gas being responsible for climate change have also known that plastics products — which are produced from oil and gas — will never end up being recycled at scale, a press release from CCI said.

“The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of CCI, as The Guardian reported. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.”

The report, The Fraud of Plastic Recycling: How Big Oil and the plastics industry deceived the public for decades and caused the plastic waste crisis, reveals that the plastics industry was aware of the challenges of recycling its products, but hid that knowledge in marketing campaigns.

“Recycling cannot go on indefinitely, and does not solve the solid waste problem,” Roy Gottesman, founding director of the Vinyl Institute, said at a 1989 industry conference, according to the report.

Not only is plastic difficult to recycle due to the many distinct types that are unable to be recycled together, but plastic also degrades when it is reused.

Recycling plastic “merely prolongs the time until an item is disposed of,” a 1986 report by VI said.

“They knew if they focused on single-use [plastics] people would buy and buy and buy,” said Davis Allen, lead author of the report and a CCI investigative researcher, as reported by The Guardian.

The evidence presented in the report could provide the legal foundation to hold oil majors and other petrochemical companies accountable for their deception and the damage plastic products have caused the public and the environment.

“Fossil fuel and other petrochemical companies have used the false promise of plastic recycling to exponentially increase virgin plastic production over the last six decades, creating and perpetuating the global plastic waste crisis and imposing significant costs on communities that are left to pay for the consequences,” the report said.

Even with this knowledge, however, petrochemical and fossil fuel companies, their front groups and trade associations “have fraudulently marketed plastic recycling as a solution for decades,” to safeguard their revenue and avoid regulation, the press release stated.

An Exxon employee summed up the deception in 1994 at the American Plastics Council, telling staffers that, when it came to plastic recycling, “we are committed to the activities, but not committed to the results.”

Attorney General of California Rob Bonta is in the process of conducting a public investigation of petrochemical and fossil fuel companies “for their role in causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis.” As part of its investigation, Bonta’s office has already subpoenaed ExxonMobil — the biggest producer of single-use plastic polymers on the planet.

“Plastic pollution is one of the most serious environmental crises facing the world today. Between 1950 and 2015, over 90% of plastics were landfilled, incinerated, or leaked into the environment,” the report said. “Plastic waste is ubiquitous — from our rivers, lakes, and oceans to roadways and coastlines. It is in ‘the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.’ One study estimates that humans ingest up to five grams or the equivalent of one credit card worth of plastic per week.”

Big oil and other “bad actors” are being held accountable in lawsuits brought by states and communities all over the United States for climate deception, and now the time has come for officials to follow suit and do the same for “the fraud of plastic recycling,” CCI said.

“Big Oil and the plastic industry’s decades-long campaign to deceive the public about plastic recycling has likely violated laws designed to protect consumers and the public from corporate misconduct and pollution,” said Alyssa Johl, CCI’s legal and general counsel vice president, in the press release. “Attorneys general and other officials should carefully consider the evidence that these companies defrauded the public and take appropriate action to hold them accountable.”

The post Plastics Producers Lied to the Public About Recycling Being Feasible, Report Reveals appeared first on EcoWatch.

According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), solar and battery storage is expected to dominate new electricity generation capacity for this year. 

In 2024, there are currently plans to add 62.8 gigawatts of utility-scale electric generating capacity, about 55% higher than the 40.4 gigawatts of capacity added last year.

New solar electric generating capacity is predicted to make up most of the share of new capacity added in 2024 at around 58%, and battery storage is expected to make up about 23%, according to EIA’s Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory.

Solar growth could nearly double last year’s numbers, reaching an added 36.4 gigawatts of new utility-scale electric generating capacity in 2024 compared to the 18.4 gigawatts of solar electric generating capacity added in 2023. Initially, there were 29.1 gigawatts of planned solar development for 2023. Solar had been on the rise from 2010 to 2021, but then declined from 2021 to 2022. Now, it is back on the rise with this year’s predictions.

“As the effects of supply chain challenges and trade restrictions ease, solar continues to outpace capacity additions from other generating resources,” EIA reported.

Most of the new solar capacity projects are slated for three states, with 35% in Texas, 10% in California and 6% in Florida. However, what will become the largest solar project in the U.S., the Gemini solar power plant in Clark County, Nevada, will begin operations this year, further giving solar capacity a boost. The Gemini plant is expected to provide 690 megawatts in solar capacity and 380 megawatts of battery storage.

The outlook for increasing battery storage is also good for 2024. In addition to the new battery storage capacity at the Gemini plant, battery storage capacity is expected to grow 14.3 gigawatts this year, what would be a record for annual capacity growth. The battery storage planned for 2024 will add to an existing 15.5 gigawatts of battery storage capacity in the U.S.

Texas and California will lead in new battery storage capacity, adding 6.4 gigawatts and 5.2 gigawatts, respectively. One notable project for new battery storage capacity includes Menifee Power Bank, which will replace a former natural gas plant in Riverside, California, EIA reported.

“With the rise of solar and wind capacity in the United States, the demand for battery storage continues to increase,” EIA stated. “The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has also accelerated the development of energy storage by introducing investment tax credits (ITCs) for stand-alone storage. Prior to the IRA, batteries qualified for federal tax credits only if they were co-located with solar.”

The report also outlined predictions for wind, natural gas and nuclear electric generating capacities. Wind is seeing a slowdown in planned projects for this year, following record growth in 2020 and 2021. Planned natural gas capacity for 2024 is the lowest it has been in 25 years, according to EIA, with 2.5 gigawatts slated for this year. As for nuclear capacity, a new reactor at one plant, the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, is expected to start operating this year with 1.1 gigawatts of capacity.

The post Solar Energy and Battery Storage to Comprise 81% of New Electricity Generation in U.S. for 2024: EIA appeared first on EcoWatch.

Nature is a continuous cycle that, when humans break it, ceases to function correctly. Xenophon,…

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Tim Robinson is famous for making uncomfortable social situations funny — in a cringe-inducing way. On his Netflix sketch show I Think You Should Leave, he’s played a range of oddball characters: a contestant on a replica of The Bachelor who’s only there for the zip line; a man in a hot dog costume who claims he’s not responsible for crashing the hot dog car through the window of a clothing store; a guy wearing a really weird hat at work. These sketches are, for the most part, an escape from the heavy subjects that keep people up at night.

So it might come as a surprise that Robinson’s next move was a climate change PSA. “I’m sick and tired of scientists telling us mean, bad facts about our world in confusing ways,” Robinson shouts at the camera in a recent sketch. Playing a TV host named Ted Rack, he invites a climate scientist on his show “You Expect Me to Believe That?” for a messaging makeover. 

It’s produced by Yellow Dot Studios, a project by Adam McKay (of Don’t Look Up fame) that’s recently been releasing comedic videos to draw attention to a global problem that most people would probably rather not think about. Sometimes the resulting videos are only mildly amusing: In a recent one, Rainn Wilson, Dwight from The Office, presents the case against fossil fuels to the court from Game of Thrones. But for a comedian like Robinson who thrives on a sense of unease, talking about climate change isn’t just a public service; it’s prime material. 

In the sketch, the subject of the Queer Eye-style makeover is Henri Drake, a real-life professor of Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine. Ted Rack’s first step is to outfit Drake in a jersey with the number 69. “Let’s focus on making your messaging a little more appealing to someone like me,” Rack says. “Someone who, like, when I hear it, I get a little mad because I don’t understand it.” Robinson is famous for his facial acrobatics, and his expressions grow increasingly perturbed as Drake describes how fossil fuels have warped Earth’s “radiation balance.” By the end, Rack is holding his head in his hands. “I gotta be honest,” he says. “What you’re saying to me makes me want to fight you a little.”

The video struck a chord with the public, racking up 100,000 views on TikTok and almost a quarter million on YouTube. It also resonated with some scientists. “I immediately understood where this is coming from,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, after watching the video. “I feel the same pressures, I get the same complaints.” After he gives scientific talks, the most common response he hears is along the lines of “Oh my god, you’re just so depressing.” 

The sketch touches on similar themes as Don’t Look Up, McKay’s 2021 film that portrays a distracted, celebrity-obsessed world ignoring scientists’ warnings of an approaching asteroid.  Rack, though, wants to help avoid the disaster that ensues when no one pays attention to scientists’ “terrible message,” and he finds ridiculous ways to make climate science relatable. “Here’s what you should say,” he instructs Drake. “‘Your house is about to be part of the ocean … A shark could swim in there and eat a picture of your daddy.’”

As a scientist with a self-described dark sense of humor, Swain enjoyed the sketch. He thought it did a good job satirizing the expectation that scientists, as the bearers of bad news, should be “cheery cheerleaders.” At the same time, though, Swain thinks a lot of climate scientists really could use a communication makeover. “I absolutely agree that a lot of times where the scientists engaged with the wider world are really ineffective,” he said. Jargon scares people off.  And even if people stick around for technical discussions of, say, Earth’s radiation balance, they might disengage when the conversation turns to ecological collapse, even though it’s the crux of why the topic matters at all. The story of how humans have made the world hotter and more hostile is a difficult one to hear, especially when accepting it means you might be a tiny part of the problem.

If experts are having trouble talking about climate change, you can bet that the general public does, too. Two-thirds of Americans say climate change is personally important to them, but only about half that number, just over a third, actually talk to their friends and family about it, according to the most recent survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. People might be hesitant to express their thoughts because they mistakenly believe that their opinions are unpopular, or simply because scary things are just hard to talk about.

Weirdly enough, that’s what makes climate change a good subject for a Robinson sketch. A recent profile of the comedian in The New York Times Magazine — which begins with Robinson spooning an absurd amount of hot chiles over his noodles at a restaurant — compares an affinity for spicy food to the appeal of cringe comedy. “In a harsh world, it can be soothing to microdose shots of controlled pain,” wrote Sam Anderson, the author of the profile. “Comforting, to touch the scary parts of life without putting ourselves in real danger. Humor has always served this function; it allows us to express threatening things in safe ways. Cringe comedy is like social chile powder: a way to feel the burn without getting burned.”

Climate scientists, too, could spice up their talking points — if they were given resources to do so. “I think everyone kind of understands why this exists and is funny,” Swain said. “But the reason why that’s the case — why there aren’t engaging, funny climate scientists out there on TV — is nobody is facilitating that in any setting.” The real barrier, Swain says, is that the places where scientists work don’t generally support public communication as part of their job. 

Swain is just one of a handful of climate scientists with a very high level of public visibility, appearing all over TV news, articles, YouTube, and social media. He thinks he’s been featured on more podcasts than he’s ever listened to in his life. But he’s concerned that funding for his communications work will soon run out, with nothing to replace it. “I am still working through this myself,” Swain said. “I mean, I don’t know what my employment’s going to be in six months, because I can’t find anybody to really support this on a deeper level.”

Finding a climate scientist who had time to talk about a silly, five-minute video was also a bit of a challenge. Zeke Hausfather, another media favorite, was swamped; Drake, from the video, apologized but said that it was the busiest week of the year; other scientists didn’t respond. The initial email to Swain resulted in an auto-reply advising patience amid his “inbox meltdown.” As a one-man team, Swain wrote, he could only respond to a fraction of the correspondence coming in.

Talking to a journalist about comedy clearly isn’t at the top of the priority list for most scientists. But Swain doesn’t think it’s a waste of time. By now, he’d hoped that climate change would have a bigger role in comedy sketches, bad movies, and trashy TV shows, meeting people where they already are. “Where is the pop culture with climate science? It’s not where I thought it would be at this point,” he said. “But pop culture changes quickly. It responds fast to new things that are injected into the discourse.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Talking about climate change can be awkward. Just ask Tim Robinson. on Feb 16, 2024.

Indigenous nations, farmers, and ranchers throughout the Klamath Basin in the Pacific Northwest reached an agreement on Wednesday to collaborate on ecosystem restoration projects and to improve water supply for agriculture. 

The memorandum between the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, and Klamath Water Users Association, which represents agricultural producers across 17,000 acres in both California and Oregon, serves as a major step in a long-running battle over access to water as the Klamath River dries up and federal officials cut flows to tribes and producers.

Drought in the region has often pitted Indigenous peoples and endangered fish against more than 1,000 farms that rely on the same water for their crops. In 2001, the Bureau of Reclamation shut off irrigation water to farmers in the midst of a drought, prompting protests from farmers and illegal water releases. Two decades later, amid another drought, the agency cut water to farmers to preserve endangered suckerfish, again heightening tensions. ”It’s not safe for Natives to be out in farmland during a drought year,” Joey Gentry, a member of the Klamath Tribes, told Inside Climate News after the 2021 water cuts. 

In 2022, tribes won a long-running campaign to convince the federal government to remove four dams that stopped salmon from reaching their spawning grounds, marking a major win for Indigenous communities that rely on the Klamath. Now, Clayton Dumont, chairman of the Klamath Tribes, says the new agreement goes even further.

“We’re nowhere near finished, but this is a really strong beginning,” he said. “Getting adversaries like this together in a room and having to sit through a lot of bitterness to get to a point where we are now, I think it’s not just commendable, it’s pretty miraculous.”

Klamath Tribes were forced to cede 23 million acres in Oregon and California to settlers in exchange for a reservation, but an 1864 treaty gave the tribe the right to hunt and fish on those ceded lands forever. However, fishing hasn’t been consistently possible with drought and conflicting demands for water. 

“What’s at stake is our very livelihood, our culture, our identities, our way of life,” Dumont said. 

In the next month, tribes and agricultural producers will meet to decide on restoration projects that could be completed within the next two years and supported through existing federal or state programs. After the priorities are decided, officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior will identify both existing funding and new funding sources for the projects. The agency also plans to release more than $72 million to modernize agricultural infrastructure and restore the ecosystem in Klamath Basin.

Officials from the Klamath Water Users Association said in a press release that working together with the tribes will make both parties more effective in obtaining state and federal funding to support the region.  

“I am hoping that this MOU will be the first step to bring all the different entities together to work on a solution to the conflicts over water that have hampered this region for decades,” said Tracey Liskey, president of the Klamath Water Users Association Board of Directors. “The water users want fish in our rivers and lakes and water in our irrigation ditches. This way, we all can have a prosperous way of life in the basin.” 

Dumont says it helped that the administrations locally, statewide, and federally were all supportive of this agreement. However, he added that there’s no guarantee that the MOU will have any staying power after November.

“If the election goes the wrong way, all of this could dry up really quickly,” Dumont said.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline As the Klamath River dries, tribal nations and farmers come to rare agreement on Feb 16, 2024.

Government employees in Bangkok have been ordered to work from home for the next two days in order to avoid a thick layer of noxious smog covering the city.

On Thursday, authorities warned that air pollution levels in Thailand’s capital and neighboring provinces had reached unhealthy levels, reported Reuters. Non-government employees have been urged to stay home as well.

Governor of Bangkok Chadchart Sittipunt said the mandatory work-from-home days would affect more than 60,000 people on Thursday and Friday, according to AFP.

Authorities asked for employers’ cooperation in helping workers avoid the toxic pollution until it improves on Friday.

“I would like to ask for cooperation from the [Bangkok Metropolitan Administration] network of about 151 companies and organizations, both government offices and the private sector,” Sittipunt said in a statement, as AFP reported.

On Thursday morning, Bangkok was ranked in the top 10 most polluted cities globally by Swiss air quality tracker IQAir.

According to the IQAir website, levels of PM2.5 particles — considered the most dangerous and small enough to enter the bloodstream — were 15 times higher than the recommended guidelines set by the World Health Organization.

Bangkok’s air quality issues come from industrial pollution, agricultural burning and busy traffic.

Prime Minister of Thailand Srettha Thavisin said crop burning was the biggest factor in the jump in pollution, adding that about 25 percent of it came from vehicles, reported Reuters.

Last month, the Department of Pollution Control said Bangkok’s annual smog season had officially begun, according to The Associated Press. Air quality in the region has been getting worse since late 2023. In northern provinces like Chiang Mai, a period of high microscopic dust levels typically starts in late February, when airborne particles build up due to a combination of an inversion layer in the atmosphere and dry weather.

Many residents of Bangkok are not able to work from home, however.

“If I stay home, then I will starve,” 57-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Jarukit Singkomron, who is allergic to the pollution, told AFP. “People like me have to go out to make ends meet.”

Subsidies have been offered to farmers by the Thai government to stop burning, as well as less expensive electric vehicle (EV) packages, Reuters reported. A clean air act is under consideration by lawmakers to reduce pollution from transportation, agriculture and industry.

The prime minister recommended that the government consider limiting fossil fuel-powered vehicles in Bangkok and pointed out that Thailand’s EV policy was an important component of efforts to reduce pollution now and in the future.

“We have a lot of problems with pollution at the moment, so we have to act immediately to reduce the effects on people,” Srettha said, as reported by AFP.

The post Bangkok City Workers Ordered to Work From Home to Avoid Toxic Smog appeared first on EcoWatch.

Parts of an oil spill first detected near the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago on February 7 are drifting into the Caribbean Sea, putting the country’s coral reefs, as well as other nations, at risk.

The spill was determined to have been caused by an overturned barge being pulled by a tugboat called Solo Creed, according to a post by Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of National Security.

Monitoring service TankerTrackers.com said the barge and tugboat were on their way to the Grenadines and St. Vincent, reported Reuters.

“The satellite showed that some of it was moving into the Caribbean Sea, as well as some of the modeling,” Allan Stewart, director of Trinidad and Tobago’s emergency management agency (TEMA), told Reuters. 

The boat overturned approximately 480 feet off the coast of Venezuela, The Washington Post reported.

A national emergency was declared by Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, reported The Guardian. At least two schools have been closed amid health concerns, and a cleanup effort has begun.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley told reporters on Sunday that workers were cleaning beaches, working on containing the spill with booms and protecting wildlife, according to The Washington Post.

Parts of the 7.46-mile spill have been spotted moving into the Caribbean in opposite directions, TEMA said, as Reuters reported.

TEMA photographs posted on Tuesday revealed progress in cleaning up beaches in Tobago, with roughly a third of the 9.3 miles of shoreline having been cleaned, Stewart said.

“This is a national emergency and therefore it will have to be funded as an extraordinary expense,” Rowley told reporters, as reported by The Independent. “[W]e don’t know the full scope and scale of what is going to be required. Right now, the situation is not under control. But it appears to be under sufficient control that we think we can manage.”

Rowley said the vessel appeared to be leaking “some kind of hydrocarbon.”

According to officials, divers have been having a hard time containing the spill as concerns over its damage to the area’s ecosystem, as well as tourism, increased.

Oil’s toxic substances can have a lasting impact on coral reefs, fish and other marine life.

Rowley said offers of help have been extended by several countries.

The oil spill happened during one of Trinidad and Tobago’s largest tourist attractions, Carnival season, CNN reported.

“The best part of Tobago’s economy is its tourism, so it is important that we be cognizant that we don’t expose the tourism product to this kind of thing,” Rowley said, according to CNN.

Residents of Lambeau expressed concerns about their health as a stench from the spill filled the air, local media said.

Farley Augustine, the Tobago House of Assembly’s chief secretary, advised residents with respiratory issues to “self-relocate” and use masks.

“Cleaning and restoration can only seriously begin after we have brought the situation under control,” Rowley said, as reported by The Independent.

The post Oil Spill off the Coast of Trinidad and Tobago Drifts Into Caribbean, Threatening Marine Life and Coral Reefs appeared first on EcoWatch.

The latest Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) raises concerns over a loss of small farms and a growth in larger farms, while also showing some promise with the growth of renewable energy implementation in agriculture.

The USDA completes a Census of Agriculture every five years to count the nation’s farms and ranches. The latest census, the 2022 Census of Agriculture, revealed that 39% of U.S. land is covered by farms and ranches. The number of farms and ranches is around 1.9 million, a decrease of 7% from the previous 2017 census. While the number of farms decreased, the size of each farm increased 5% to an average of 463 acres.

Most of the farmland, nearly three-fourths, was used for two primary reasons: oilseed and grain production and beef cattle production. Beef cattle production comprised 40% of land use. According to an analysis from Food & Water Watch, the number of animals in factory farms is now around 1.7 billion, up 6% since the last census and 47% since 2002, while the number of small-size dairy farms is only about one-third of the number of smaller dairy farms in 2002.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who presented the census to the USDA, noted that the trend of fewer but larger farms has had negative impacts on communities. In addition to the decline of smaller farms, the impacts have led to losses in other community staples, such as schools and healthcare, Mother Jones reported.

To change course, Vilsack recommended investments in climate-friendly farming practices that could also provide additional revenue streams for owners of small- to medium-size farms.

“It’s important for us to invest in climate-smart agriculture because that creates an opportunity for farmers to qualify, potentially, for ecosystem service market credits, which is cash coming into the farm for environmental results that can only occur on the farm,” Vilsack said, as reported by Mother Jones. “The farm then creates a second source of income.”

In a press release, Vilsack noted some recent initiatives by the U.S. government to improve the agriculture industry for smaller farmers, including improving local food systems for farmers to sell directly to customers and incorporating renewable energy projects with agriculture.

“All of these actions are enabling America’s farmers to be less reliant on a few large, consolidated monopolies, making farming more viable for the next generation, and making our food system more resilient for everyone who eats,” Vilsack said.

According to the census report, farms and ranches produced $543 billion, an increase from $389 billion generated in 2017. Further, Vilsack said in a press statement that the net farm income during the first three years of the Biden administration was the highest on record.

There were other positive takeaways from the census as well. There was a 15% increase in the number of farms utilizing renewable energy generation compared to the 2017 census, and there was an 11% increase of the number of beginner farmers, or those with 10 or fewer years of experience.

“There is more work to do to ensure we maintain strong momentum in terms of farm income, and to make sure that income is equitably distributed among farms of all sizes so more can stay in business and contribute to their local economies,” Vilsack said. “Today’s report is a wake-up call to everyone who plays a role in agriculture policy or who shares an interest in preserving a thriving rural America — we are at a pivotal moment, in which we have the opportunity to hold tight to the status quo and shrink our nation’s agriculture sector further, or we can choose a more expansive, newer model that creates more opportunity, for more farmers.”

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