Recent Climate Victories
Indiana Senate Passes Carbon Market Bill, Gives Farmers the Opportunity to Earn Extra Money
A new carbon market bill that was passed in the Indiana Senate would allow farmers to earn money for implementing environmentally-friendly measures. Senate Bill 373 would create a State program where landowners could sell carbon credits to businesses such as Microsoft and Amazon. This would mean that farmers could earn cash for doing environmentally friendly things such as planting trees, which would trap greenhouse gases that are harmful to the environment, as well as other agricultural practices that could improve water quality in nearby lakes and streams. One of the authors of the bill, Senator Sue Glick stated, “those contracts can achieve almost $6,000 a year per acre in some areas and in some grounds.” The bill is sponsored by the House, by Rep. Donald Lehe and Rep. David Abbott and was coauthored by State Sen. Sue Glick (R-LaGrange), Sen. Rick Niemeyer, and Sen. J.D. Ford. The bill was passed in the Senate on February 22nd, with 33 votes in favor of the bill and 16 votes against it. -Jocelyn Quintana
Ecology Denies Permit for Kalama Methanol Facility
On January 19, 2021, The Washington Department of Ecology denied permits for a massive methanol plant in Kalama Washington. After conducting an environmental analysis, the Department concluded that the Methanol refinery would have devastating effects on the environment.
They outlined a multitude of reasons for denying the permit, such as:
- It would be one of the largest sources of carbon pollution in Washington.
- Preventing Washington from meeting the new greenhouse gas limits set in 2020
- Negative impacts on Washington's shorelines, which conflicts with Cowlitz County’s
Shoreline Master Plan
Alyssa Macy, CEO of the Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters, states that “people across that state have consistently said they do not support a clean energy future that simply invests in dirty fossil fuel infrastructure. Today’s science-based decision helps ensure Washington’s promise of a livable planet for generations to come.” Brett VandenHeuvel, an Executive Director with Columbia Riverkeeper, states that “Ecology’s decision is cause for celebration for people across the Northwest who value bold leadership to tackle the climate crisis. We applaud Governor Inslee and Director Watson’s decision to follow the science and the law.” These sentiments ring true all across the people of Washington. By looking at the science and environmental impact of new facilities, we are taking a step towards fighting climate change. Local victories like these should be celebrated and continued throughout the world. -
Sreya Chakraborty
Living Environmentally Cautious During the Pandemic
We can all become more environmentally conscious by reducing our usage of single-use plastics. In 2020, 14 billion pounds of plastic has been dumped in the ocean, and in America, over 10.5 million tons of plastic are generated per year, and of that large number, only 1-2% is recycled. Some common single-use plastic packaging, includes plastic grocery bags, plastic food wrapping, plastic take-out containers, and plastic drink lids. By cutting back on these products, it would reduce the amount of plastic overall that is being generated and grown per year. Moreover, these single-use plastics can also be replaced with reusable plastic packagings, such as reusable canvas bags, metal or ceramic cooking materials, and glass bottles, which are all easy to maintain, and are more environmentally safe. -Danielle Del Barrio
Weekly Petition
Animals all over the world have been widely taken advantage of by manufacturers. The Food and Drug Administration has supported companies to use or not use animal testing before releasing a product. Although the FDA advised cosmetic manufacturers "to employ whatever testing is appropriate and effective,” for their products even though the harm they may cause, the testing on an animal can be very unsustainable; during the testing of a product, an animal may be overfed or underfed. This leads them to be disposed of in a form of burning them which results in toxic chemicals being released into the atmosphere. One of these chemicals is carbon dioxide as it’s released the temperature continues to rise causing different climates to change rapidly. Power plants release a large amount of nitrogen dioxide which is a highly reactive chemical that can reduce the number of crops yielding. A new technology that can replace animal testing is Vitro testing which uses human cells to replace animals. The process is environmentally sustainable because it does not rely on energy to break down the cells. By signing the petition, money can be invested for alternative testings and less overuse of energy. -Kamiyah
