Hey climate heroes! Welcome to The Climate Roundup, where we round up the change, er the news about climate and the environment. As part of the Gen E community, we thank you for making climate action part of everyday life. (Reading this newsletter counts!)
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In Pop Culture:
🌎 NYC Friends: Come visit us today at the Earth Day event in Union Square Park from 12-6p!
GETTING DOWN TO CLIMATE BUSINESS:
🚰 Clean Water Victory: The EPA is mandating municipal water systems to remove cancer-linked PFAS chemicals, found in tap water across the US, to near-zero levels. Decades of studies prove these man-made “forever chemicals” are not safe to ingest in any amount. Yet, like micro-plastics, they’re now found running through our blood. Though hailed as a life-saving regulation, the usual suspects are citing the financial burden on utilities and potential industry impacts as reasons to not have clean drinking water. I strongly recommend watching the movie Dark Waters with Mark Ruffalo for a real life story of PFAS, featuring a court case against DuPont. Then you’ll think about all the Teflon pans on the market and wonder: how is this still a thing?
🧘 Breath Easier Rule: The EPA is on a life-protecting roll. In another rule announced last week, over 200 chemical plants face new regulations to cut cancer-causing pollutants, benefiting communities near industrial sites. Same story as above, complaints ensue from people who prioritize money over killing cancer.
💪 Climate Case Win: We don’t like any sort of age labeling here at Gen E. We are all Generation Environment, regardless of when you were born. But in a recent climate change lawsuit brought by 2,000 Swiss senior women, age was a winning factor. Europe’s highest human rights court cited government failure to protect citizens from extreme heat in their ruling. Women over 55 face an increased risk of dying from heat-related illness, hence the strategic and wise move by these experienced women to band together and sue their government. This landmark ruling sets a precedent for future climate-related cases across Europe.
🥵 And Counting: March was officially the 10th consecutive hottest month on record. It was also the warmest March on record. That’s all.
🐙 Octopi-sight: A recent study suggests that if ocean temperatures continue to rise as projected, octopuses could face impaired vision and increased mortality rates among pregnant mothers and their offspring. Heat stress from global warming affects protein production crucial for vision and leads to dire consequences for octopus populations, emphasizing the urgent need for climate action to protect marine life.
👚 Not In Fashion: A Swedish startup said to be “ the world’s first industrial-scale textile-to-textile recycling plant”, faces bankruptcy just over a year after opening. Supply chain challenges and a lack of buyer commitment highlight the hurdles in the fashion industry’s quest for sustainable alternatives, like using old clothes to make new ones. The collapse raises doubts about the feasibility of ambitious sustainability targets set by major fashion brands. Consumers can have an impact here by choosing not to be a fashion victim: saying no to the constant stream of new clothes, and being precisely intentional about our apparel needs.
SOME STATS:
90%: AMOUNT OF TIME HUMANS SPEND INDOORS (HSPH)
425.38: PPM CO2 IN MARCH 2024 (NOAA)
Climate MBAs Unite
Climate change as curriculum has been growing over the last several years across MBA programs. The economic upside to the green revolution is undeniable, so it makes sense courses named “The Business of Climate Change” would emerge. I know because I took it! And now students wanting to ensure these teachings don’t die upon graduation have formalized a pledge dubbed “The Climate Legacy Commitment”. Signed by students from top business schools, the pledge aims to secure the prioritization of scientific evidence and UN climate commitments in future boardrooms, while essentially reshaping capitalism to consider more than just profits. As an MBA who made a similar pledge with myself, I’m proud to see this forward momentum and organization from current students. And I’m hopeful that more and more people will commit their careers – across any and all industries and functions – to doing things the climate-friendly and environmentally responsible way.
