The Climate Courier September 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Environmental Racism:

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The Vaquita Porpoise:

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Loose Threads

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Plastic Pollution:

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The Uncertain Future of Fossil Fuels

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Cloth Face Coverings DIY

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MAN

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The Coal Plant

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Ecosystems and Pollution

An American Problem or an International One? A Looming Tragedy

Fast Fashion Trends

Put Into Perspective

BY CLAIRE YANG

BY SYLVIA LI

BY OLIVIA TSUI

BY JENNIFER ZHAO

BY OLIVIA TSUI

BY ANIKA HUANG

BY SONIA PATIL

BY TARALYNN KANG

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BY ATMAJA PATIL

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The Green Illusion

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The Real Cost of Meat

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Tim Oey on Recycling

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Not Worth the Ore

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Overlapping Crises:

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Small Businesses, Small Changes

Greenwashing in Marketing

BY SYLVIA LI

BY OLIVIA TSUI

And What You Should Do Instead

BY JENNIFER ZHAO

BY ANIKA HUANG

How Covid-19 and Climate Change are Interconnected

BY JENNIFER ZHAO

BY TARALYNN KANG

Publication Editor in Chief: Jennifer Zhao Content Editor in Chief: Anika Huang Social Media and Marketing: Atmaja Patil Newsletter and Digital Magazine: Sylvia Li Website and Blog Manager: Trisha Sathish

Section Editors: Atmaja Patil, Sylvia Li, Sonia Patil, Taralynn Kang, Claire Yang Staff Writers/Artists: Jennifer Zhao, Anika Huang, Atmaja Patil, Sylvia Li, Trisha Sathish, Sonia Patil, Taralynn Kang, Claire Yang, Olivia Tsui

theclimatecourier.wordpress.com THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

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Environmental Racism:

An American Problem or an International One? The environmental justice movement in America has been hyper focused on just our nation. It’s about time we join hands with the rest of the world

BY ATMAJA PATIL // SOCIETY AND POLITICS

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melle, Indiana, is home to one of the largest hazardous waste landfills in the country. Over 90% of the residents living near the landfill are Black1. The residents of Emelle did not remain quiet to this discrimination and formed an org an i z at i on called Alabamians for a Clean Environment (ACE), whose primary goal was to shut down this hazardous waste landfill.

ACE did everything in their power to fight the company dumping this waste, including presenting a case to the supreme court2. Despite their efforts, they were not able to get the landfill ceased. The Associate Press furthers that “The Alabama Legislature voted to lower the fees for burying hazardous waste at the Emelle landfill, which proponents say will boost use of the landfill and create jobs in west Alabama.” 3 Unfortunately, this is not an isolated event. Emelle truly did everything in their power to resist this oppression. They should not have had to fight this alone.

Environmental racism should be thought of on an international scale.

We, as activists, are ignorant if we fail to recognize the international scale of such racism. In fact, certain sections of the EPA’s environmental policy allows environmental issues to be pushed out of the US and into the developing world.

One glaring example of this is the dumping of hazardous waste overseas.

In 1980, congress passed an act known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, C o m p e n s a t i o n , and Liability Act (CERCLA), aka the “Superfund” in response to poor hazardous waste management practices in the 1970’s. However, under CERCLA, the United States or U.S. corporations are no longer liable for hazardous waste once it leaves U.S. territory.4 So a private company could just as well sail the waste out of the U.S. and dump it in developing countries with poor hazardous waste regulations. An infamous example of this is the Khian Sea incident. In 1986, a ship named the Khian Sea carrying potentially toxic ash produced by the City of Philadelphia was rejected from its original destination country.

ABOUT TIME “IT’S WE JOIN HANDS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD”

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It then spent almost 2 years wandering the seas, being rejected by ports in many other nations including the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Honduras. “In 1988, the ship finally docked in Singapore, empty.” 5 This shows the level of secrecy under which we manage to ship our environmental inequality issues to other countries. If we are fighting for our rights as Americans by working to prohibit the dumping of waste in impoverished neighborhoods, what gives us the right to dump our waste in developing countries? If we continue to think of environmental racism as an “American” problem, we will simply be pushing the problems out of our country and into lesser developed ones.

In the U.S., unsolved racial inequality issues lay their foundation in the times of early slavery. Similarly, South Africa struggles to change apartheid-era policies that allow inequality to persist across the country.

South Durban is home to one of the biggest oil refineries in South Africa and has one of the largest concentrations of petrochemical industries in the country.6 Apartheid spatial planning involved intentionally concentrating the Black neighborhoods near the industrial hub that is South Durban to facilitate cheap labor. Even today, the residents of South Durban complain of shortness of breath and a burning of the eyes and nose because of the

ILLUSTRATION BY TARALYNN KANG

petrochemical plant. This injustice in South Durban draws many similarities to the case in Emelle, Indiana. The fight against both these issues escalated in the late 1990’s: a time when individual groups fighting racial injustice felt isolated in their cause.

Given the recent uprisings here in the U.S., we often feel that the racial injustice we observe happens only within the confines of our nation. As we have seen in the case of South Durban, this notion is utterly false.

We can be more effective in fighting environmental justice if we learn to think of the issue on an international scale. Joining hands with other communities facing injustice builds a stronger voice more likely to be heard by the governments as well as private corporations committing these

atrocities. Take for example the Center racism affects discriminated groups of International Environmental Law internationally, it is clear that we should (CIEL) which has helped those looking not lose sight of the international scale for environmental justice have their of these issues. It may seem that getting voices heard by the United Nations. “In involved in such international efforts the past year, CIEL worked with the is difficult, but in fact, there are many Office of the UN High Commissioner organizations such as CIEL making for Human Rights on a series of a measurable and magnitudinous 8 workshops to develop guidance on how difference. countries can put their human rights commitments into practice as they adapt to and mitigate climate change.” 7 The CIEL VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO has also worked to create an Indigenous People’s Platform FIND ORGANIZATIONS within the UN climate WORKING TO MITIGATE negotiation process to give indigenous groups proper ENVIRONMENTAL representation.

RACISM WORLDWIDE By looking at the way in which environmental

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THE VAQUITA PORPOISE: A LOOMING TRAGEDY

BY CLAIRE YANG // COMICS

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COMICS | SEPTEMBER 2020

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Loose Threads

While some new trends deal a blow toward sustainability, personal choices can reduce the damage caused by textiles. With the help of everyday consumers, the negative effects of the fashion industry can be greatly reduced

BY SYLVIA LI // LIFESTYLE The Rise of a Global Issue

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n recent years the world has seen an emergence of an unsustainable standard for one of the largest industries that affect the environment: Fast Fashion. Clothing production has approximately doubled in the last 15 years, driven by increased sales.

According to a 2017 report1 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the ‘fast fashion’ phenomenon comes with a quicker turnaround of new styles, increased number of collections offered per year, and often lower prices. From the puffer jackets and off-the-shoulder tops of previous seasons, to the chunky white sneakers and bucket hats from more recent times, fashion trends come and go.

With the surge in popularity of new trends, the drastic issues of the textile industry have only grown worse. The textile industry is one of the most destructive industries on our planet, affecting the environment directly, as well as making an impact on consumerism and sustainability.

An research overview2 reported the World Bank attributing up to 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution from chemicals and dyes of the textile industry. Additionally, thousands of gallons of fresh water are used to grow natural fibers such as cotton. A study3 on washing synthetic fibers revealed that synthetics contribute about 35% to the global release of primary microplastics to the world oceans, thus becoming the main source of microplastics. Often.

clothing that is thrown away is left in landfills that pollute the land and water, according to a commentary4 on environmental injustices. The remaining is incinerated, which pollutes the air and increases carbon emissions.

These environmental impacts grow alongside any increase to clothing production, and as a result, fast fashion exacerbates these problems by introducing large increases of new clothing in short periods of time. It is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year and customers throw away clothes after seven to ten wears, even when garments are still in usable condition (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).

How Are Affected?

ILLUSTRATION BY TRISHA SATHISH

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As a consumer, the rise of fast fashion also means a detriment to products available for purchase.

When the industry is focused on new trends that appear quickly and vanish even faster, the quality of clothing is dramatically reduced as companies churn out mass produced items as fast as possible.

Those who buy clothing to follow trends may have a surplus of clothes described as “last season” that end up in the garbage.

In the past, clothing was more expensive to make and buy, leading to people

purchasing less clothing on average and using the same pieces over and over again. The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).

One positive of the industrialization of fashion is the decrease in price that allows lower income populations to more easily access clothing options, however fast fashion also makes it easier for higher income populations to buy and dispose of clothing without truly considering the cost of clothing, both literal and environmental.

While many low-income countries have a relatively high rate of clothing utilisation, elsewhere rates are much lower. In the US, for example, clothes are only worn for around a quarter of the global average (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).

Fashion can often feel disconnected to environmental issues, but by considering the consequences of seemingly irrelevant choices and actions, sustainability can become easier to achieve. Although it seems that the fashion and textiles industries are directly undermining sustainability by pushing trends and dismissing impac t, consumers can still do their part to make a difference.

generating less waste, compared to if someone buys cheaper jeans every couple of months that rip frequently and have to be replaced.

When choosing what materials to buy, you may have to weigh negatives; while natural fibers require a lot more water to p r o d u c e , synthetics cause a large amount of microplastic pollution. On the bright side, the negatives of natural fibers can be reduced by reusing the garment many times to avoid wasting resources, and you can choose materials that release less plastic from washing, such as fabrics made of reused polyester.

Research is also being done to treat fabrics in order to reduce microplastic shedding (Falco, Pace, Cocca).

As much as buying from good quality and sustainable companies can help reduce textile related issues, this is not always a realistic option for everyone considering h i g h e r p r i c e s for better quality clothing a n d exclusive brands.

Despite this downside, there are always other ways to decrease waste and increase clothing lifespan.

A large driver of clothing waste is the continuous emergence of trends, wildly differing from older trends, that encourages people to buy completely new wardrobes to match fashion standards. Instead of perpetuating

CAN OFTEN “FASHION FEEL DISCONNECTED

TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES,”

Ways to Reduce Textile Waste

When thinking about the sustainability of your own closet, it is helpful to consider the lifespan of garments. For example, owning a couple pairs of good quality jeans that are reused over and over again for many years means they have a longer lifespan.

This also means as an individual, you are consuming less resources and

this, you can alter clothes you already have to match new trends better or if you simply get bored of something you own. Altering can be relatively simple, such as cropping shirts or cutting off sleeves, but altering can also completely change the style of a piece. Additionally, in many cases altering is cheaper than buying a new article of clothing.

Another way to introduce new items to a collection is to thrift, allowing other people’s older clothing to have a longer lifespan by utilizing it in new ways. Thrift stores usually sell at largely marked down prices, helping lower income populations contribute to sustainability as well. On the flipside, you can give your old clothing to thrift stores instead of just throwing it away.

Despite the growth of problems in the textile industry as time continues, consumers can make a tangible difference by doing their best to extend the lifespan of their clothing. The rise of fast fashion may seem like another item to put on a list of ways humans are harming the planet, but other trends, such as the resurgence of vintage styles that encourages thrifting, can combat the negatives presented by fast fashion.

Just like how individual actions can aid in fighting other environmental issues, consumers can take a moment to think about their actions and consequences to bring sustainability to fashion as well.

The next time you consider whether or not to buy the newest trending dress or jacket, stop and think: what can you do to increase the lifespan of your clothing?

CAN “CONSUMERS MAKE A TANGIBLE

DIFFERENCE BY DOING THEIR BEST TO EXTEND THE LIFESPAN OF THEIR CLOTHING”

LIFESTYLE | SEPTEMBER 2020

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BY OLIVIA TSUI // COMICS

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The Uncertain Future of Fossil Fuels In early July, three major oil and gas pipeline projects buckled under mounting economic and legal pressure. But despite growing environmental awareness, our clean energy future is still a big work in progress

BY JENNIFER ZHAO // SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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hallenged by environmental opposition and legal setbacks, three major oil and gas pipeline projects ran into dead-ends on July 5 and July 6, 2020. Within 36 hours1, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project was cancelled, the Dakota Access Pipeline shut down and the infamous Keystone XL oil pipeline denied permission to begin construction.

These cancellations were the result of calls for stricter environmental reviews2 from the federal government, as well as legal and economic pressure from the public. As climate change becomes increasingly more prominent, more and more people are demanding renewable alternatives over fossil fuels.

Yet, efforts to reshape the energy sector still have a long way to go.

The Fates of Three Pipelines The Atlantic Coast Pipeline was first announced in 2014 by the two largest utility companies in the U.S., Duke Energy and Dominion Energy, with estimated costs ranging from about $4.5 billion to $5 billion. The pipeline would have transported natural gas about 600 miles along the Appalachian Trail, posing a risk of pollution to the waterways along its path.

The multi-billion dollar Atlantic Coast Pipeline was canceled on July 5, after facing multiple environmental lawsuits and delays. Lawsuits increased the cost of construction by $3.5 billion3 and the project was no longer economically feasible.

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The Dakota Access Pipeline runs from North Dakota to Illinois, carrying 557,000 barrels of oil per day. While the pipeline sparked intense protests in 2016, it has been operational since June 2017.

For the past three years, the pipeline continued to receive opposition from activists and Native American groups in the area. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe lives within a mile from the pipeline and an oil spill or leak could greatly threaten their water supply.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has led the long-running legal challenge against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

On Monday, Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District of Columbia ruled in the tribe’s favor, shutting it down. A review4 of the pipeline determined that the risks of a leak or a major spill had not been adequately analyzed, and that the pipeline’s “effects on the quality of the human environment are likely to be highly controversial.”

The Dakota Access Pipeline is now awaiting further environmental review and will be emptied of oil by August 5.

This unprecedented ruling means the Dakota Access Pipeline might be the

THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

first operational pipeline5 shut down by a court for environmental reasons.

That same day, the Supreme Court rejected plans6 to continue the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, a project that has faced an uphill battle since it was proposed in 2008. The Keystone XL pipeline would have carried oil from Canada to Ne b r a s k a , connecting with other routes to transport the oil to the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2015, President B a r a c k Obama shut down the pipeline7 amidst concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions and nearby ecosystems.

Upon taking office in 2017, President Donald Trump revived the project and construction resumed earlier this year.

However, the environmental controversies surrounding the project resumed too. Pipeline construction was once again blocked by a court ruling in April of this year, a decision that the Supreme Court ultimately upheld. Now, following the Supreme Court’s decision, TC Energy must acquire additional permits if it hopes to continue construction.

“EFFECTS ON

THE QUALITY OF THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT ARE LIKELY TO BE HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL”

The Rise of Natural Gas The increasing challenges oil and natural gas pipelines are facing

reflect the growing consensus that transitioning off fossil fuels is necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Fossil fuels form from the remains of living things over millions of years8. As these remains are buried under layers of silt, sand and rock, pressure and heat convert them into oil and natural gas.

When these fuels are combusted for energy, they release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, trapping heat and warming the planet.

As such, most people recognize the need for renewable sources of energy, such as wind, solar and hydro power.

Despite this, oil and natural gas production in the U.S. increased

dramatically between 2008 and 2019, with oil production more than doubling9, and gas production increasing by more than 60 percent.

And, according to the New York Times9, at least another 21,500 miles of pipelines are currently being built, expanded on, or developed.

The cancellations of these pipelines represent the recognition that we need change. But how the energy sector will get there, while continuing to invest in fossil fuel infrastructure, is still unclear.

Some have turned to natural gas as an emissions-friendly alternative to coal and oil. Natural gas is also a fossil fuel, forming in deposits deep beneath the Earth’s surface. As a result of new fracking techniques10, natural gas makes for a reliable energy source with low prices. Both production and consumption of natural gas in the U.S.

have steadily been climbing8 since 1986, with production peaking in 2018 at about 30.6 trillion cubic feet annually.

Proponents of natural gas are quick to point out its smaller carbon footprint.

For every 200 pounds of carbon dioxide produced from coal, about 117 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced from natural gas. Because of this, natural gas is seen by some as a “bridge fuel”— a step towards renewable energy.

Environmentalists, however, cite a slew of other detrimental impacts.

To begin with, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking11, techniques used to produce natural gas involve pumping high pressure liquid into the rock to break it. This process effectively forces natural gas to the surface, but it requires large amounts of water, which can drastically reduce the water table of an area and affect nearby aquatic habitats.

ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIRE YANG

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | SEPTEMBER 2020

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Additionally, hydraulic fracturing fluid may be released through leaks and spills, contaminating the area with potentially h a z ard ou s chemicals.

Fracking may even cause small earthquakes, which causes structural damage to buildings, pipes, and cables.

In some areas, fracking is banned11 for these harmful consequences.

Once the natural gas is extracted, it must be transported to processing plants

through thousands of miles of pipelines, which ecosystems are often disrupted to construct. Furthermore, natural gas consists mostly of methane, an extremely p o t e n t g re e n h ou s e gas, which may leak from wells, storage tanks, pipelines and processing plants during production. In 2017, methane emissions from oil and natural gas wells accounted for about 32

& GAS WELLS “OIL ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT 32% OF ALL US METHANE EMISSIONS�

BY OLIVIA TSUI // COMICS

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percent of all U.S. methane emissions8, according to estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Although it stays in the atmosphere for a shorter amount of time, methane is much stronger than carbon dioxide, and its effects on global warming may be devastating.

The Future of Energy

Transitioning from fossil fuels to natural gas is a temporary solution at best: natural gas still contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and its production may cause environmental harm in other ways. Therefore, energy utilities must prioritize renewable sources of energy instead.

According to a report done in June by the University of California, Berkeley, for the U.S. to achieve a 90 percent emission-free electric grid by 2035, both coal and natural gas use must be reduced by 70 percent12. In addition, there must be an increase in the use of wind, solar and hydro power, energy storage and transmission lines.

Big energy companies are becoming aware of this, and making attempts to shift off of coal and oil. In some cases, that unfortunately means converting coal plants into natural gas facilities, such as what Dominion Energy did to six of their plants12 in 2019.

However, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy have also begun a few renewable energy projects. Dominion Energy is constructing two wind turbines12 in Virginia as a test run for an anticipated 200 more turbines to be constructed in the following six years.

Demands to leave behind natural gas and other fossil fuels are growing stronger, along with the need to drastically reduce our planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. As many experts agree, and as the defeats of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Keystone XL Pipeline seem to foreshadow, adopting

renewable energy is not a choice, but an inevitability. Ultimately, however, whether that transition occurs in time to stave off the worst effects of climate change remains to be seen.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR FURTHER READING

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BY ANIKA HUANG // COMICS 16

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COMICS | SEPTEMBER 2020

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The Coal Plant

One kid living in a rural suburban town sees their dad jobless after a coal mining plant gets shut down. As gentrification hits in his area, Dylan, the main character, is more angered by the environmental rich kid hippies at his school who don’t understand any of his struggles

BY SONIA PATIL // FICTION

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warm April gust flew in, shaking the white and pink flowers on the tree branch that Dylan laid under. Spring time was slipping by and there was only this last moment of the blood red sun that was slowly sneaking down. He would create any excuse to stay a little longer before he had to go home. Dylan’s father, Mr. Brent, would be coming any minute now, ready to slip off his belt and whack it on anyone after his hard day.

But Dylan made it in time. And he ate his dinner. And he sat quietly,

mindlessly mumbling the same conversation as always with his dad trying to avoid the fact that it was Mr. Brent’s last day of work today before getting laid off.

“How ya been son?”

“Been alright, how was work” “Same old, same old. Apparently a few towns over in Gurenda one of the coal mines collapsed on the workers and three won’t be coming home anytime soon, that’s for sure. How’s that grocery job of yours so far? They pay you well?”

ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA TSUI

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THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

“Mhmm” “Don’t be talking back to that hoity toity manager of yours. One day your gonna take his job and make something for this family more than I am, ain’t that right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Don’t you worry now, I know money has been tight, especially with the plant closing and all, but we’ll hang in there”, Mr. Brent finished off.

After dinner, Mr. Brent proceeded his nightly routine of binge drinking and yelling at the old photograph of

his ex-girlfriend who left him for that one businessman. He began throwing whatever he saw in front of him and frantically waving his hands. Mr. Brent has been diagnosed with some type of neurological problem that the doctor speculated was from breathing in coal dust all day. Dylan did his best to avoid all this, driving in his Ford down to his favorite lake. He liked to study the fish at night as their scales caught the moonlight and shined beautiful shades of purples, yellows and greens, almost as if there was an underwater Mardi Gras party.

Pulling out his biology textbook, he began to study until he heard the unsettling, familiar footsteps of Laura.

Rolling his eyes, he continued to write his notes till he heard her irritatingly sympathetic voice.

“Hey there Dylan, what are we doing here?” she noisily questioned.

“Umm, I should get going now”, Dylan replied, desperate to get away from her.

“Omg, did you hear about Sam? Like I know he was your friend or something, but like his family is like homeless now and it’s lowkey giving me like a panic attack,” Laura pressed.

Dylan’s face started to turn red, “You don’t even know Sam,” he barked.

“Is it ‘lowkey’ giving you a panic attack that all the people that used to live here are also going broke and homeless? Or is it too hard for you to fathom that the Mayor, oh wait, your dad is making this town a lot more pricey taking everyones’ jobs away while these stupid rich folks move in with their Whole Foods and Jamaba Juice?”

“Ok, so like I don’t appreciate the negative vibe you’re sending out. Like it’s so inconsiderate how you speak to me,” Laura responded in the fakest voice imaginable.

“Ok I’m done here,” Dylan said as he got up.

“Like they are trying to make this town a little nicer cause like people

are starting to lowkey get depressed going to Starbucks now. Like what do I have to do to get some fair trade Costarcian iced coffee around here?”

Laura pathetically argued, as she followed Dylan back to his beat up truck.

Dylan drove off and looked up at the sky. For some reason, the bright stars weren’t there like he remembered when he was a kid.

The next day at school, Dylan couldn’t think. It was bad enough that his crazy dad lost his job, but was stuck as assistant manager for the rest of his life! What next, he has to marry Laura so he can get some of her dad’s Mayor money? He stared through the window watching an amusing spider slowly spinning a silvery web.

There was a fly wrapped up in it, and the mummified thing looked petrified yet the expression of fright seemed oddly familiar to Dylan. Too angry to think, he watched as the over privileged so-called hippie kids began put up signs in the hallway. Shut down the Coal Plant! Save my Lungs! I want Fresh air!

He watched and he stared, his blood started to boil and his face turned red.

These rich kids complained about how the air was poisoned and ruining their delicate lungs, but then they were the same people that smoked pot all day and paid Dylan to do their homework.

These people have never had to work a day in their life and here they were just claiming to advocate for the

environment. All they were doing was stealing people’s jobs making everyone who once lived in Rochester homeless Dylan thought to himself. He couldn’t take it, he stormed out of class and ripped down the poster. He tore it into tiny pieces then threw it up in the air. One of the kids started to call out “Hey! You can’t do that!”

Dylan just screamed some more then continued to tear down every poster in sight.

He kept tearing and ripping, creating a marvelous snow storm of white and grey paper bits.

He took a few deep breaths and stormed into Ms. Taylor’s class. Ms. Taylor was probably the only teacher in his highschool that actually wanted students to get somewhere in life.

Though it felt like Dylan was one of her charity cases, she had helped him nonetheless.

“Well that was quite a show you just put back there. That new vice principal will probably be coming around here anytime now though,” Ms. Taylor said, eating the last of her salad with those gross raisins mixed in.

Still breathing heavily, “Eh, it’s fine.

It was worth it anyways. She won’t do anything, I saw her with her box of doughnuts earlier. She probably is more interested in those. I’ll help out the janitor later.” “.... so anyways, your college admissions packet came in my mail yesterday!”

“DYLAN CONTINUED TO

TEAR DOWN EVERY POSTER IN SIGHT. HE KEPT TEARING AND RIPPING, CAUSING A MARVELOUS SNOW STORM OF WHITE AND GREY PAPER BITS”

FICTION | SEPTEMBER 2020

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Along with her so-called charity work of helping Dylan, she also helped him apply to college and even for financial aid. There was no way that Dylan’s dad could find out, so the mailman, Larry, specifically delivered the mail to Ms. Taylor’s. To Mr. Brent, college was a big waste of money to get a small piece of paper that would do absolutely nothing. Mr. Brent also never finished the eighth grade and still thought that Nixon was the president, which is probably why he was so bitter.

Dylan carefully opened the fat envelope and to nobody’s shock he got in on a full ride. Though it may not seem like it from the scene he just created, he’s actually a smart kid getting A’s in all the classes some of the rich kids with fancy tutors found hard. Mr. Brent had no idea Dylan was getting a whole lot of practice doing other kids’ SAT’s, math homework, essays and the list goes on all for the hefty price of $200 each. All the while, Mr. Brent just thought that the grocery store was just paid nicely to their future assistant manager.

“So what’s the plan, you going or not?”, Ms. Taylor said with hopeful eyes. Though she did care a little about Dylan, she cared more about telling this story to her book club on Saturday that because of her, and her only, was she able to save the potential of a troubled young boy. There was a little glint in her eye each time she turned on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she longed to be on.

This was her most perfect opportunity.

“I don’t know… now there is no one here to take care of my dad. My aunt had pretty much given up sending money for us to keep the house. The landlord is just waiting till our lease finishes and he

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can take our house and sell it for twice the price to one of these desperate rich folks”, he continued, “Even if the tuition is paid for, what about the dorm fees, books, food, and all of that? Plus, even if I have a job there, I can’t pay for both myself and my dad living separately,” “You can’t be there for your dad all the time. When are you gonna learn that going to college will be doing more for yourself then he ever has for you?”

“Dear lord, do you think we are in a movie or something? You know what, I need to think about it.” Dylan pushed open the door and right around the corner he spotted vice principal Laringhton chewing on a jelly doughnut getting powder all over her black “woman-suit” as she calls it.

It was really the only professional attire that she could find at Big Bob’s Store for the Hefty and Healthy. Too invested in her doughnut to spot Dylan, he was able to slip away but not fast enough before running into Laura.

“What’s in your hand?” a squeaky voice piped. Dylan just kept walking, hoping that if he ignored her she would leave. He was wrong.

“OMG OMG OMG! You’re actually going to college?!?! I didn’t think with… financial situation, you’d be able to do that. I know you couldn’t have done it without my support of course, I’m so proud of myself,” she beamed.

“Did I ask for your opinion or something… I… don’t ever remem--” “Oh shut up and let’s go out! I know this is like a really big thing for, well,” she lowered her voice, “your kind of people.”

How much more of this will he have to take if Dylan questioned himself?

THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

They went into Laura’s silver Toyota and started driving. Two hours passed and they finally approached a beautiful valley dotted with tiny purple flowers that seemed to dance against the wind.

Dylan laid down and stared up at the blue, cloudless sky. Laura laid down next to him.

“I know you don’t really like me,” she said.

“Gee it took you this long to figure out?”

“I still like you though.”

“Wow, I got the best girl in town”, Dylan said sarcastically.

“Listen, I know what I said earlier was rude, but it’s true. Getting into college, and with that, a full ride too, is a big opportunity for you. You could really make something out of yourself and get a real job than just assistant manager at that grocery store, Alters.”

“Wait, how do you know about that?”

“Sometimes I listen and talk to your dad. He really just sees himself in you.”

“That’s kinda scary,” “How much longer are you gonna live like this?”

“Living like what?”

“You know, being angry all the time at nothing. Like I saw you tear down those posters. I see you everyday. You know, you’re one of the most cynical people I have ever met. You are smart enough to do something with your life and you just waste it by taking care of your dad.”

Dylan laid there in amazement. He never realized that Laura’s pea-sized brain could comprehend so much. Or better yet, actually speak the truth on something he ignored.

They drove back home as the dried up, polluted red sun began to set. Dylan rolled down the car window and stuck his head out. The fresh pine smell filled his lungs and he smiled for the first time in a while. Mile after mile, the fresh smell began to fade and the groggy, thick, black coal smoke was replaced.

It gave Dylan the same familiar nauseous headache he always had living in R o c h e s t e r.

It was at this moment, he knew what he had to do.

As they pulled up to his rocky driveway, Dylan got out of the car and a strange feeling of liberation swept across himself. He burst into his dirty kitchen with an unfamiliar sense of confidence.

“Hey dad--” “Get me a beer”, Mr. Brent replied.

Dylan walked over and grabbed a lukewarm bottle from their broken fridge.

“Hey dad, guess what--?”

“You were late for dinner. I won’t tolerate this disrespect.”

Dylan finally spit it out, “Hey dad, guess what, I quit my job. Yeah, and I’m going to college, it’s all paid for and I’m leaving for good.”

In utter shock, Mr. Brent slowly processed the words through the few ounces of sanity he had left in him and began to understand what was happening.

He had the same petrified look on his face, like a fly about to be swallowed whole. Dylan stared at him, then realized how pathetic his dad really was.

There was a long silence, and then the familiar sound of a glass bottle shattering cracked Dylan’s ears. Some people are so predictable, he thought.

His dad was shaking in his chair, but Dylan didn’t really care anymore. This time, he didn’t go to the lake, he went upstairs and packed his stuff.

A few days later, Dylan graduated highschool and was presented with a $20,000 check Ms. Taylor gave him, which was actually just a small portion of which she got from publicizing her “heroic” efforts of helping Dylan on

FRESH PINE “THE SMELL FILLED

HIS LUNGS AND HE SMILED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE. MILE AFTER MILE, THE FRESH SMELL BEGAN TO FADE AND THE GROGGY, THICK, BLACK COAL SMOKE WAS REPLACED.”

The Oprah Winfrey Show. That same day, Dylan left town with his money and took a closer look. The things he once admired suddenly had a sickening, hideous appearance. Years of pollution from the coal plant had caused the sky to turn brown, the water to turn grey as the dead fish rose up with their bloated bodies, and all the tree leaves shriveled to dust. May was ending, and where he once remembered spring flowers was now nothing but dirt and ash. Suddenly, it dawned on him, those damn hippies actually were right, coal had certainly damaged Rochester. All his life, his father depended on that job, yet it had turned the small ounce of nature that made Rochester livable to ruins. He shook his head in disapproval then got in the car and drove off into the red polluted sunset.

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The Green Illusion

The increase in consumer awareness has forced companies to adapt to new marketplace ideals, causing many to push incomplete or false narratives of their environmental impact.

How can consumers keep this in mind when deciding between products?

BY SYLVIA LI // SOCIETY AND POLITICS

A

s the world grows increasingly aware of climate change and its consequences, individuals and organizations alike have taken steps toward reducing their negative impact on the Earth. The general population is taking steps to buy sustainable or ecofriendly products, and some companies are using this opportunity to market products to an increasing demographic of people. From the perspective of someone walking through a grocery store aisle, it can be difficult to differentiate between brands truly committed to helping the environment and those that only use sustainability to drive sales.

In the 1980s, the term ‘Greenwashing’ was coined by an environmentalist to describe the practice of companies advertising themselves as eco-friendly while engaging in practices potentially harmful to the environment; they present themselves as saviors to the Earth, but hypocritically undermine conservation efforts with their direct actions and decisions. The term was used in discussion of the oil company Chevron1 and its 1980s marketing

campaign, featuring employees helping wildlife, all while subverting attention from the negative consequences of fossil fuels. Main criticisms of these advertisements included the fact that many of the programs Chevron supported were mandatory under the law, and that Chevron conveniently avoided any mentions of how they were contributing to oil and air pollution.

“It’s misdirection, and it’s intended to shift the c u s t o m e r ’s focus from a company’s appalling behaviors to something t h a t ’ s p e r i p h e r a l ,” says Jason Ballard, CEO of a sustainable h o m e improvement company2.

The amount of advertisements promoting green claims have grown remarkably quickly: A study3 done

by TerraChoice reported that in large magazines, the percentage of ads containing green claims grew from 3.5 to 10 percent from 2006 to 2009. These advertising campaigns are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has a set of guidelines for environmental marketing. The Green Guides4 were created to ensure consumers avoided misinformation

MISDIRECTION, “IT’S INTENDED TO SHIFT THE CUSTOMER’S FOCUS FROM A COMPANY’S APPALLING BEHAVIORS TO SOMETHING PERIPHERAL”

ILLUSTRATION BY TRISHA SATHISH

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THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

and that companies could not falsely advertise any environmental claims. In 2012, the Green Guides were updated5 to address the increasing ways green advertising was being used. New sections included guidelines on seals of approval, certifications, renewable energy and materials, among updates to existing sections.

Although this was a step in the right direction to reduce the misleading nature of green advertisement, the Green Guides still leave a lot of issues unaddressed. For example, the Green Guides do not regulate the use of ‘sustainable’, ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ in marketing, a decision justified under not conflicting with existing guidelines. However, this leaves companies free to continue marketing in vague ways. These words are used to give the illusion of positivity and the company can get away with not explaining the reasons a product is sustainable, organic or natural. Other companies lawfully use certifications and seals of approval to show how they are environmentally aware, but in some cases these certifications only address small parts of environmental impact, conveniently overshadowing any unsustainable practices in other branches of production.

One of the largest business conglomerates in the world, Unilever, is largely credited with leading the fight for sustainable living, although a closer look at their policies reveals some doubt in the extent of what they were able to accomplish. The company has its own sustainable living plan6

ILLUSTRATION BY SYLVIA LI

which states that Unilever is aiming to reduce environmental impact, improve health and the wellbeing of millions.

Compared to other industry leaders, Unilever is doing a great job at providing transparency for its consumers, but since they are one of the first to report where they source materials or how they protect the environment, there is no standard to compare them to.

Unilever has piles of paperwork to show for their sustainable sourcing, such as criteria for sustainable agriculture. Ironically, by including all information in reports to increase transparency, the central claims and messages become harder to see with too many confusing details in the way.

A New Internationalist article7 looks into Unilever’s claims and reports what these sustainable guidelines look like at the very source of materials.

Unilever markets its soup and other foods as ‘made with sustainably grown vegetables’, but that qualification is completely decided on by Unilever itself. New Internationalist points out that many of these fancy guidelines simply comply with health and safety laws. In short, there is no noticeable difference between vegetables grown

‘sustainably’ and those grown on a neighboring farm with no seal of approval. This is a prime example of how the FTC’s guides on certifications and seals can easily be worked around.

Another example of this loophole can be seen on a much smaller scale: A Pure Leaf tea bottle, not difficult to find in convenience or grocery stores. This example is explained by sustainable life and style activist Megan McSherry8, who critiques the bottle’s label. The back of the bottle says that the company is committed to sustainability, a claim supported with a couple of logos and certifications on the back.

Without looking closely, it can be easy for consumers to quickly assume Pure Leaf is more eco-friendly than competing brands, but upon further examination, it can easily be seen that half of the official looking seals are simply brand logos. The only true certification relating to the environment is a Rainforest Alliance seal, addressing

the source of the tea leaves. While this certification is legitimate in its claims, Pure Leaf uses this one good deed as an explanation for the whole product. As McSherry points out, this label doesn’t address other large impacts from the production of this product: where the water is sourced from or why the tea is packaged in plastic bottles, which contributes greatly to pollution.

How can we identify greenwashing?

There are a couple things9 to look out for that might be misleading.

As we have seen from the Pure Leaf tea, products with lots of logos and certifications may not actually be that much better for the environment. Whenever you encounter a lot of seals, be sure to read the text on them and look for supporting information that explains what each certification means toward

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sustainability. Vague language often means there is no concrete support that the company is truly beneficial, so be sure to check for supporting information. Other products might use nature related imagery to seem like a good option when looking from far away, but a quick read of the label can likely make it clear whether the product is actually helping the earth or not.

Companies can also include irrelevant claims on the product to direct attention, for example saying certain chemicals are not included when those chemicals might be banned completely or irrelevant to the environment. If any company claims seem suspicious or too good to be true, you can always

verify claims online and in the ‘further reading’ section below this article you can read more about warning signs of greenwashing.

In a society where plastic bottles are commonplace, it can be difficult to find genuinely environmentally friendly products. Consumers can always try to purchase from small brands or those with transparent reporting of their production process, but this is a time consuming and likely expensive task for individuals. In the long run, only improvements made by companies and proper government regulations can reduce greenwashing.

As we slowly get better at regulating green marketing and promoting

BY OLIVIA TSUI // COMICS

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truly eco-friendly options, the most important thing we can do in the meantime is to read the labels and smaller text. By being aware of what we are purchasing and if it is truly sustainable, it becomes much more difficult for companies to get away with misleading advertisements and marketing that tells half truths. Calling out misinformation puts pressure on companies to be honest with their advertisements and pushes them to put money where they claim. When business infrastructure catches up to our continued demand for more truly sustainable options, it will be a much smoother process if consumers aren’t blindsided by greenwashing.

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Tim Oey on Recycling

And What You Should Do Instead Zero-waste advocate Tim Oey discusses single-use plastics, recycling and how to minimize waste for a more sustainable future.

BY JENNIFER ZHAO // LIFESTYLE

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n recent years, there has been a major increase in plastic use, particularly for disposable products and packaging. About 50%1 of plastics produced today are single-use only, which amounts to roughly 150 million tons2 of plastic tossed in landfills each year.

Despite this, Tim Oey and his family produce less than a quart or less of trash per month. Oey is a zero-waste advocate3 and event c o ordi nator for Silicon Valley Bicycle C o a l i t i o n 4.

H a v i n g s t u d i e d chemistry at Harvard Un ive rs it y and worked for companies like Apple and Adobe Systems, he now works full-time for community service and nonprofit organizations.

To maintain his small environmental footprint, Oey is particularly considerate of what little waste he does produce, and how he chooses to dispose of it.

has gone down too. We do recycle some: a little bit of plastic, some metal and a little bit of glass. But I’m really trying to just reuse as much as possible.

When I go shopping at a grocery store, I take all my own containers so I have nothing left to recycle or throw away.

Would you say recycling is an effective way to reduce waste?

It’s a last resort. It’s all about reducing and reusing first5. And there’s so much we can reduce, and there’s a lot of stuff we can reuse. But you can avoid recycling.

Some things recycle well, like metals.

Glass recycles pretty well6 if you can get the glass recycled.

Plastic recycles very poorly, so if at all possible, completely avoid disposable plastic.

CALLED AN “IT'S EXTERNALITY.

THEY'RE ABLE TO SELL SOMETHING WITHOUT PAYING THE FULL COST OF WHAT IS INVOLVED”

How often do you recycle at home or in your community?

I try to do, surprisingly, as little recycling as possible. My house is down to almost zero trash and our recycling

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Why is it that plastic recycles so poorly?

It recycles maybe once, and that’s about it. Then it becomes stuff that you can’t recycle anymore.

Compostable plastics7 are sort of a myth because they break down into these little pieces that still hurt the environment. Avoiding plastic entirely is much better.

THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

I’ve heard of both biodegradable plastics and compostable plastics. Is there a big difference between the two?

Biodegradable stuff means that it can be broken into bits, but those bits are still harmful in the environment.

Compostable materials tend to have stronger standards, but they’re still fraught with problems because some byproducts8 may not be very healthy for the environment after they’ve been composted.

Plastics are just a difficult material.

Reusable plastics are better, but when they reach the end of their life they still can be challenging. When I use reusable plastics, I focus on polypropylene and some polyethylene stuff 9, because that’s more recyclable. Polypropylene is what you use in a lot of Tupperware containers.

A lot of containers, like yogurt containers, are recyclable, but they’re designed for single use. If you have a Tupperware, then you use it maybe hundreds, maybe thousands of times before you have to end up recycling them, which is much better than using something just once and recycling it.

What do you think about movements to ban single-use plastics, like straws and bottle caps?

It’s a great idea. There was a really good bill in front of the California Legislature recently, called, like, California Circular Economy and

Pollution Reduction Act10. It didn’t pass this past year, but it would be really good for it to come up and pass next year, in the next legislative cycle. It would basically put the burden of plastic waste on the manufacturers or the sellers of the material.

You, as a consumer, don’t have the capacity to take that plastic and do something useful with it. But the manufacturer can. If they’re required to take back any leftover waste, they will want to make sure that product is as reusable or as recyclable as possible, so that they can eliminate costs. Because all waste is lost money.

That’s pretty interesting. Speaking of reducing plastics, plastic is used so much right now. How

you just turn around and throw away.

Buy it in a reusable container instead.

Today I ate at the cafeteria of Adobe Systems. They have a zero-waste cafeteria; there’s nothing to throw out afterward. There’s no trash and almost no recycling.

There was a little bit of compost, but everything else was reused.

They had a reusable plate, a reusable tray.

The paper, a napkin and the crumbs that were leftover all went to a compost facility.

PROBLEM IS “THE NOT SO MUCH THE

SYSTEM, BUT THE MATERIAL. IT'S NOT DESIGNEDTO BE RECYCLED”

Would you say that composting is more effective than recycling?

Okay, it depends on the material.

Composting is basically how you recycle organic material.

Glass and metal can’t be composted, but can be recycled. Plastic is this

weird in-between material: it used to be organic, but we’ve transmuted it into something new that nature can’t deal with very well. Because of the nature of how plastic is made, it can’t be composted and is very, very difficult to recycle.

Plastic is made from very long polymer chains. These chains are strong when they’re fresh and new, but when you try to reuse them they degrade and aren’t as effective the next time around.

They’re not like an element, like iron.

If you melt iron, it’s still iron and it always will be iron. When you try to melt plastic again, it breaks it down and changes form6. You don’t end up with the same kind of material.

Is this because of our current method of recycling plastics?

The problem is not so much the system, but the material. It’s not designed to be recycled.

Compared to metals and glass, right?

Yes, metals and glass can melt and reform close to infinitely. That’s not the

would you replace the single-use plastics we’re already using?

Oh, there’s so many ways. Like straws for instance, you don’t even need a straw, right? You can drink with your lips. There are a few people who do need straws, and for those people, get a reusable straw made of metal.

When you go out and eat, rather than eating at a fast food place that has disposable cups, go to a restaurant or get that restaurant to use a reusable glass. And people buy stuff in all of this wrapping that

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case with plastics. Plastics are complex carbon chains. You could burn them but then it becomes CO2, which creates other problems to deal with.

A lot of the source materials for plastic are also coming from fossil fuels1. This creates huge amounts of other pollution. There are bioplastics11, which are more sustainable. You take plant material and turn it into plastics.

You end up burning that, and the carbon dioxide is fixed again in plants.

But if we’re taking stuff out of fossil fuels and reintroducing it to our carbon cycle, that causes climate change, which has huge implications.

What concrete steps would you outline to help organizations become zero-waste?

The first step is to do a waste audit.

Look at what you recycle and throw out and ask for each item, “How can we buy something different so we don’t have to recycle or throw anything out?”

The biggest leverage you have is on the purchase side. It takes some creativity and analysis to figure out, “Okay, so where can we find a different supplier

for that? How can we change our system so that we don’t need it anymore?”

Recycling is important but people should know that recycling is the last resort. We need to focus much, much more on the “reduce and reuse”, and account for all the costs of our products, so that we can keep our Earth a healthy place for going forward.

Our Earth is a closed system and we need to take much much better care of it. The trash and the pollution that we’re creating are catching up with us.

Can bioplastics be recycled, though?

It’s the same problem as regular plastics. Some of them can sort of be recycled, but the recycling of plastics is still very problematic. We haven’t yet invented any really good recyclable plastics.

Places like schools used to use more reusable options, such as metal utensils and reusable trays. What do you think brought on this shift towards single-use plastic?

Oil companies made oil and plastic production super, super cheap. But they made it cheap in a way that burdens your generation with the cleanup costs. It’s called an externality12. They’re able to sell something without paying the full cost of what is involved. They’re not paying for the disposal or pollution.

They’re basically shoving that on someone else to handle, notably you, me and everyone else.

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ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANIKA HUANG

THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

Not Worth the Ore

Effects of mining in the Grand Canyon from the Cold War still remain, continuing to damage both the environment and the Navajo Nation.

BY ANIKA HUANG // SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

T

he Grand Canyon has existed for millions of years, carving out several unique habitats, with five out of the thirty ecosystems that exist on Earth. It’s home to many elusive and unique species found nowhere else in the world.

In 2012, Congress implemented a 20-year ban on uranium mining across 1 million acres to protect the canyon from the environmental damages like those caused during the Cold War1 to extract uranium.

In 2017, Trump and Arizona officials had tried to reopen2 the Grand Canyon for uranium mining, ignoring the detrimental effects from before and doing so in clear violation of the ban. Under those colorful layers of rock is uranium ore, which the president planned to store as nuclear energy and use for the development of nuclear weapons. Even though he wanted to reopen mining in order to boost the economy, President Trump ignored how detrimental it would be to the environment and the people living there. Uranium mining comes with a plethora of harmful side effects because of the way it’s extracted and the mobility of the contamination.

The uranium mining process involves leaching-pouring a liquid chemical to dissolve the surrounding rock, revealing the ore. The solution usually contains sulfuric acid, or less commonly, nitric acid, both of which are strong corrosive acids. The chemical solution is pumped down to the uranium layer, mixing with the ore. The solution containing the uranium is then moved to another storage tank to be sent to a treatment plant, but not all of the liquid makes it back up to the surface. The poisonous runoff can leak into the river, groundwater and soil, contaminating3 nutrient sources for plants, animals and people living in the area. The water pollution can be carried downstream or by the rain and wind to spread to other places, where the damage gets even harder to contain. Next to the mine is a containment pond that stores water and chemicals and will flood with excessive rain, spreading the chemicals. will flood with excessive rain and also spread the chemicals.

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In people, uranium poisoning can cause both chemical and radiation sickness4, resulting in kidney disease, high blood pressure, decreased immunity, respiratory problems and an increased risk of cancer, all of which can be extremely harmful on their own but can also worsen the effects and survivability rate of the current COVID-19 crisis.

In the past, uranium mining in the Grand Canyon has negatively impacted Native American lands nearby, especially the Navajo people5. Many are still struggling with the health and environmental effects from the mining in the 1940s to 1980s. Many of the contaminated materials were used to build their homes, exposing them to radiation on a daily basis. Babies were born with alarmingly high uranium levels in their blood. In a study screening uranium levels in Navajo women, “26% had concentrations of uranium that exceeded levels found in the highest 5% of the U.S. population.�

Currently, the Navajo are severely affected by the pandemic, with more deaths per capita6 than any U.S. state due to the coronavirus. In fact, the disproportionately increased rates of COVID-19 are likely due to underlying medical conditions7 caused by uranium mining from 80 years ago. While it temporarily improved the local economy8 and gave people a job close to home, the long-term health effects outweigh the economic gain, passing the problem on for future generations to bear.

Fortunately, this July9 the House of Representatives just passed the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act10, a bill permanently banning new mines in the Grand Canyon as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Although the version of the Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate did not contain the protection bill, revisions are currently being discussed.

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THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

Overlapping Crises

How Covid-19 and Climate Change are Interconnected

2020 has been ravaged by a global pandemic that very few could have predicted and a changing climate, decades in the works — two seemingly disparate but devastating crises, interconnected.

BY JENNIFER ZHAO // SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / SOCIETY AND POLITICS

D

oomscrolling, defined by the Times’ Mark Barabak as “an excessive amount of screen time devoted to the absorption of dystopian news,” is a term that has become increasingly relevant this past year. It’s not hard to see why. Foreboding headlines fill the front pages of news sources, one after the other, as two major public health crises coincide, exposing vulnerabilities in the nation’s healthcare and social services.

2020 has been ravaged by a global pandemic that very few could have predicted and a changing climate, decades in the works — two seemingly disparate but devastating crises, interconnected.

in China began in January2 and many other countries soon followed suit.

As human activity was placed on hold, and many cars and planes temporarily ceased travel, some areas saw a decrease in air pollution. In addition, the demand for fossil fuels dropped significantly, and oil prices reached negative numbers3 for the first time.

The largest global drop in emissions was recorded on April 7, 2020, with emissions levels down by 17%3.

China, India, and the United States all had declines of 25% or more.

Some experts estimated a 4-7% decrease in net emissions for the entire year, which, if maintained, would meet the annual decrease necessary to achieve many climate action goals. Some headlines were optimistic that there was a silver lining to the pandemic after all.

Unfortunately, any environmental impacts from sheltering-in-place are likely to be negligible, according to a study published in August4 that analyzed mobility data to estimate the reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions between February and

“DOOMSCROLLING IS A TERM THAT

HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY RELEVANT. IT'S NOT HARD TO SEE WHY”

The Effects of COVID-19 on Climate Change As many know, the COVID-19 pandemic began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The virus rapidly spread across the globe, claiming lives. As of September 2020, more than 900,0001 have died across at least 200 countries.

Many countries enforced shelter-inplace procedures in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Restrictions

June 2020. The researchers looked specifically at NOx emissions, oxides of nitrogen that pollute the atmosphere.

They found that NOx emissions were cut by approximately 30 percent in April as many countries imposed travel restrictions and shelter-in-place policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. NOx emissions correlate well with CO2 emissions, suggesting a decline in other greenhouse gas emissions as well.

While the reduction in NOx emissions resulted in a brief period of cooling, this was offset by an approximately 20 percent decline4 in SO2 emissions. This reduction in SO2 weakened the aerosol cooling effect5 and caused subsequent warming.

Furthermore, as some countries lifted shelter-in-place policies later in the year, many emission levels returned to normal. Overall, the study estimates that the reduction in emissions could result in up to 0.01 degrees Celsius of cooling from 2020 to 2025, but the long-term significance of these reductions is likely to be negligible.

The Effects of Climate Change on COVID-19 (And Future Outbreaks) Since the beginning of the pandemic, there were concerns that environmental factors, such as air pollution, could exacerbate the health impacts of COVID-19. In addition, many communities that have been or

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ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIRE YANG

will be most affected by climate change are more vulnerable to COVID-196.

These vulnerable demographics include older adults, those living in poverty and some communities of color.

Many climate hazards have and are predicted to intersect with the current pandemic.

Wildfires, f l o o d s , hurricanes, heat waves and droughts are among the challenges nations are expected to face. Climate hazards may force people out of their h o m e s , placing them at higher risk for catching the virus. As climate hazards like floods and hurricanes have a greater effect on low-income residents, these communities are further put at risk of getting COVID-19.

Scientists also warn the public to expect more deadly pandemics in the near future. As science writer David

Quamann7 writes in his book Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, first published in 2012, outbreaks of zoonotic diseases among humans are increasing in prevalence and intensity as humans continue to disrupt the environment.

Habitat fragmentation, unsustainable agricultural practices and urbanization redistribute disease vectors and put humans in closer contact with potential zoonoses.

Diseasecarrying insects, like m o s q u i t o s , may linger for longer periods at a time as global temperatures rise. There is no denying that future disease outbreaks will be closely tied to human interaction with the environment.

“ANY ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACTS FROM SHELTERING-INPLACE ARE LIKELY TO BE NEGLIGIBLE”

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A Way Forward Clearly, COVID-19

THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020

climate change and are interconnected in

more ways than one. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many urgent issues, many of which are the result of or have been exacerbated by climate change. Communities of color and other vulnerable populations have been disproportionately affected, and will be the most at risk for the effects of climate change. In addition, both COVID-19 and climate change have been politicized, despite the efforts of scientists.

While putting the world on pause hasn’t done much to significantly slow global warming, it has proven that change is possible, and that people are capable of adapting. It has offered valuable insights as to how to handle a crisis-- and how not to. It has disrupted a well-established routine (albeit while devastating many economies), and offered a chance at recovery.

COVID-19 is a cautionary tale, a glimpse of climate change “at warp speed.”8 We should not forget what it has taught us as we rebuild and tackle climate change, the next big crisis of our time.

Small Businesses, Small Changes Reducing a business’s carbon emissions in an achievable manner is not only doable but necessary for a cleaner future

BY TARALYNN KANG // LIFESTYLE

W

ith the introduction of 2020, Earth’s global climate crisis is still on the rise.

Each year seems to set a new record in high temperatures, draughts, or storms. The recent exponential growths of modern technology have enabled those who choose to utilize it to lessen their contribution to the atmospheric greenhouse gases and large quantities of food waste in landfills, among other human-caused complications.

However, there are steps that businesses of varying sizes can take to lessen their ecological footprint without significant budget strains.

While some methods may appear daunting or financially out of reach, there are smaller actions that can be taken to ensure a proactive stance against climate change.

Simple Starts The key to ensuring that your business can work towards a green workplace is to set reachable goals, and incorporate elements that encourage people to be more mindful about their impacts, both individual and as a community. An easy way to promote this can be to enforce a recycle or food waste policy and set up accessible receptacles throughout the building(s).

While this might seem irksome or unnecessary, it’s actually important: according to ourworldindata.com1, the food production process is responsible for approximately a quarter of our world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and about 6% is caused by food waste - which is a lot on a global scale. By

reducing the amount of food that a company disposes of in general waste, a business is doing its part by not contributing to the landfill.

Recology2, Waste Connections3 and other competing organizations offer programs for recyclables totes, as well as compost and regular waste. In addition, plastic/ paper/cardboard/ cans can be recycled. This may also be a more achievable goal if the amount of paper used is decreased; reusing sustainable products decreases the amount of materials that get thrown away. While paying for these may seem expensive in the beginning, it is a valuable investment, saving costs over time, and ensuring that the product gets used more before it is discarded, and additional ones are purchased.

A product bought with a higher price tag, but is reusable, can cost less than if the purchaser were to continue buying disposable materials at a linear consumption investment. An example of this would be to use digital services, rather than printing each document (which uses paper, electricity, a printer, and ink cartridges).

time period. Purchasing equipment that enables a company to lessen its reliance on the power grid and PG&E (for example, solar panels and/or a Tesla Power Wall4) can not only help during power outages but will also decrease the net cost of standard electricity usage. Solar panels utilize photons from the sun’s light to collide with atomic electrons, which generate an electric current.

This electricity is then pushed to the grid and sold to PG&E or (the local electricity provider). When an establishment draws electricity from the power grid, they are charged; however, any excess electricity their solar panels produce is still sold to PG&E (albeit at a lower price than it costs for a consumer to buy from them). If the business produces more electricity than they consume, they are paid by the electricity company. While the price of installation and products for this cause may seem exorbitant, the long term price of buying and owning solar panels is actually less than the long term price of remaining a general consumer of electricity. In a sense, the solar panels “pay for themselves”5. This method of reducing electricity cost is best suited for a business that has long term plans (is not planning on moving or shutting down). With this method, however, the way to go truly “green” is

GREEN “BEING IS GREAT FOR

THE PLANET, BUT ALSO MEANS SAVING FINANCES”

Lower the Charge On the more expensive end of the spectrum, an investment in renewable energy may be beneficial over a longer

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to purchase RECs - Renewable Energy Certificates6. These are issued when a single megawatt-hour is generated and sent into the power grid. The purpose of RECs is to ensure renewable (“clean”) energy claims: because power companies do not monitor, tag, or let the consumers know how the energy was generated (whether it be solar/ wind/water-powered or fossil fuels), there is no true way to guarantee that the energy being consumed was created in an environmentallyfriendly way. RECs can be bought and sold individually or in bundles, and are issued by the electricity provider.

While not required in all states, these certificates may be needed for others.

Investing in solar panels and/or other clean energy sources (ex., wind power) is a long term commitment, however; it may be anywhere between 7 to 20 years before the net spending on electricity reaches $0.

If affording solar panels or backup batteries is financially challenging,

lessening electricity consumption can be an effective way to not only decrease the amount of electricity used but also to decrease the electricity bill. Offices can turn off lights and unplug computers or other technology when not in use.

This includes wires, since chargers and connectors plugged into the wall still consume electricity, as stated by Energy Saving Trust, even if the device is not currently plugged in. Restaurants can provide capital for greener appliances (ex, electric stoves, air conditioners, and refrigerators7). Standard refrigerator and air conditioner units are known to “...release harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases that damage the atmosphere…chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), were responsible for tearing a hole in the ozone layer in the 1980s”, according to Mary Meade of greenamerica.org.8 By upgrading to more eco-friendly appliances, restaurants can cut back on their CFC and HCFC contributions.

Steps to Success Luckily, if a business needs to conserve funds, there are still small steps that businesses can take that won’t break the wallet. Encouraging the use of eco-sustainable products, packaging, and technology (such as LED lighting, energy-saving screens/printers/etc), turning off lights or technology when not in use, moderating thermostat use to avoid high electric bills or gas usage, encouraging sustainable travel (walking, biking, public transport), utilizing a simple recycling setup (or compost for food scraps), and avoiding printing excessively are all ways that an organization can reduce its carbon footprint, as well as its electricity use and paper consumption.

As a last resort, purchasing a carbon offset9 is an option. This donation is helpful, but it’s important to be aware of the controversy that surrounds this: it is often seen as a “get out of jail free card”. Buying these will direct funds to negate additional carbon emissions,

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but it’s also equated to paying guilty funds without actually taking steps to stop the carbon emissions and contributions. This method may be tax-deductible, but given the range of actions that a business can take to lessen its carbon footprint, this should be used only if any of the previous ideas are unreachable.

Finally, spread the knowledge and share it with staff and customers!

By supporting policies that reflect a business’s views, revenue may increase because customers are more likely to support and buy from companies that agree with their values. According to the 2017 Cone Communications CSR Study10, “87% [of Americans] will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about and 76% will refuse to purchase a company’s products or services upon learning it supported an issue contrary to their beliefs” (Cone Communications, 2017). Further, “63% of Americans are hopeful businesses will take the lead to drive social and environmental change moving forward, in the absence of government regulation” (Cone Communications, 2017). One example of this in effect is Starbucks, a popular

coffee house chain. The company has committed to sustainability11 by taking steps to reduce carbon, water, and waste consumptions by 2030, in addition to planting trees, setting goals for recycled material content in cups, and the aim to “invest in 100% renewable energy” (2019).

By not only motivating the employees of a store, restaurant, or business (whether it be a conglomerate, tech giant, restaurant, or single pop up) but also spreading awareness among customers, a business can improve its reach and revenue while actively advocating for climate change awareness and protection and decreasing its own harmful effects on the climate at the same time.

According to Buck Consultants12, approximately 54% of businesses enabled green programs in the past year. Corporates, businesses, small shops, and restaurants all play an important role in a community’s net greenhouse and waste output. Being green is great for the planet, but also means saving finances. And in the long run, the more businesses that take part in lessening their carbon footprint, the less emissions will harm the earth.

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THAT TAKE PART IN LESSENING THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINT, THE LESS EMISSIONS WILL HARM THE EARTH”

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The Vaquita Porpoise: A Looming Tragedy 1. https://www.britannica.com/animal/vaquita 2. https://www.britannica.com/animal/porpoise#ref275142 3. https://seashepherd.org/milagro/ 4. https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/more-conservation-efforts-critical-save-vaquita 5. http://www.iucn-csg.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CIRVA-11-Final-Report-6-March.pdf 6. https://www.nrdc.org/experts/nrdc/near-extinct-vaquita-porpoise-gets-thrown-another-lifeline 7. https://porpoise.org/knowledge-base/can-save-vaquita-porpoise/ 8. https://porpoise.org/about-porpoises/vaquita/ 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=cF0NzEF_N7w&feature=emb_title 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkTvoQkFwG8 11. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/11/climate/vaquita-porpoise-dies.html 12. https://www.vaquitacpr.org/about-the-vaquita/ 13. https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science/Working-with-Endangered-Species/vaquita.html 14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xRioY5vAcw 15. https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/vaquita 16. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/mexico-bans-drift-gillnets-in-gulf-of-california-inlast-ditch-effort-to-save-vaquita

Loose Threads 1. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future 2. https://doi.org/10.15406/jteft.2017.02.00066 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43023-x 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7 5. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2019/633143/EPRS_BRI(2019)633143_EN.pdf 6. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/books/review/how-fast-fashion-is-destroying-the-planet.html 7. https://www.forbes.com/sites/callyrussell/2019/08/27/could-this-be-how-we-make-fast-fashion-sustainable/

Plastic Pollution: Put into Perspective 1. https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/ 2. https://recyclingsimplified.com/ 3. https://doi.org/10.1136/tc.2010.040170 4. https://phys.org/news/2014-12-scientists-total-weight-plastic-world.html 5. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/marinedebris/plastics-in-the-ocean.html 6. http://www.beachapedia.org/Plastic_Pollution_Facts_and_Figures 7. https://search.earth911.com/ 8. http://www.oceanicsociety.org/blog/1720/7-ways-to-reduce-ocean-plastic-pollution-today

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The Uncertain Fate of Fossil Fuels 1. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/07/keystone-xl-stalls-again-along-with-other-pipelines/ 2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottcarpenter/2020/07/09/oil-pipelines-hit-a-dead-end-so-do-power-lines-needed-for-renewable-energy/ 3. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/us/dakota-access-pipeline.html 4. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/climate/dakota-access-pipeline-sioux.html 5. https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottcarpenter/2020/07/06/oil-and-gas-pipelines-increasingly-losing-legal-challenges/ 6. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/us/politics/supreme-court-keystone-xl-pipeline.html 7. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/07/keystone-xl-stalls-again-along-with-other-pipelines/ 8. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/ 9. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/climate/dakota-access-keystone-atlantic-pipelines.html 10. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/climate/natural-gas-renewables-fight.html 11. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/natural-gas/ 12. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/business/energy-environment/renewable-energy-natural-gas.html

Cloth Face Coverings: DIY 1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-make-cloth-face-covering.html

Ecosystems and Pollution 1. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/pollution 2. https://rwu.pressbooks.pub/webboceanography/chapter/5-4-dissolved-gases-oxygen/ 3. https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/signs/acidity.html 4. https://rainforests.mongabay.com/0813a.htm 5. https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2014/02/understanding-pollution-pristine-rainforest

The Green Illusion 1. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/20/greenwashing-environmentalism-lies-companies 2. https://treehouse.co/ 3. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.118-a246 4. https://www.ftc.gov/policy/federal-register-notices/guides-use-environmental-marketing-claims-green-guides 5. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2012/10/ftc-issues-revised-green-guides 6. https://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/ 7. https://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2017/04/13/inside-unilever-sustainability-myth 8. http://www.acteevism.com/ 9. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10946-greenwashing.html 10. https://www.feedough.com/what-is-greenwashing-types-examples/ 11. https://www.sustainability-times.com/green-consumerism/you-can-take-these-tips-to-avoid-being-greenwashed/ 12. https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/03/20/greenwashing-deceptive-business-claims-of-eco-friendliness/ 13. http://www.m.www.na-businesspress.com/JABE/jabe106/FurlowWeb.pdf

The Real Cost of Meat 1. https://foodtank.com/news/2013/12/why-meat-eats-resources/ 2. https://www.beefcentral.com/news/does-it-really-take-20000l-of-water-to-produce-1kg-of-beef/ 3. https://www.watercalculator.org/footprint/foods-big-water-footprint/ 4. https://www.watercalculator.org/footprint/meat-portions-900-gallons/ 5. https://wtvox.com/sustainable-living/2019-the-world-of-vegan-but-how-many-vegans-are-in-the-world/ 6. https://www.watercalculator.org/footprint/water-footprint-beef-industrial-pasture/ 7. https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/10/how-much-water-food-production-waste 8. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/methane/ 9. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/ 10. https://www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/showers

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Tim Oey on Recycling and What You Should Do Instead 1. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0311 2. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaq0324 3. https://www.zerow.org/ 4. https://bikesiliconvalley.org/ 5. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics 6. https://earth911.com/business-policy/how-many-times-recycled/ 7. https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/frequently-asked-questions-about-plastic-recycling-and-composting 8. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191030-why-biodegradables-wont-solve-the-plastic-crisis 9. https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/plastics/resins 10. https://www.natlawreview.com/article/circular-economy-and-pollution-reduction-act-stalls-california-legislature 11. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/are-bioplastics-made-from-plants-better-for-environmentocean-plastic/ 12. http://seattlebagtax.org/referencedpdfs/en-akullianetal.pdf

Not Worth the Ore 1. https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/uranium-mining 2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/05/public-lands-uranium-mining-arizona-grand-canyon 3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201052/ 4. https://www.epa.gov/navajo-nation-uranium-cleanup/health-effects-uranium 5. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/10/08/navajo-uranium-found-women-babies-new-mexico-study/3907899002/ 6. https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/navajo-nation-fears-second-covid-19-wave/index.html 7. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33572741/trump-mining-grand-canyon-uranium/ 8. https://science.howstuffworks.com/uranium-mining6.htm 9. https://www.sinema.senate.gov/sinema-introduces-bill-protecting-grand-canyon-strengthening-arizonas-economy 10. https://www.grandcanyontrust.org/grand-canyon-centennial-protection-act-passes-house-part-ndaa

Overlapping Crises: How Covid-19 and Climate Change are Interconnected 1. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html 2. https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-on-lockdown-coronavirus-italy-2020-3 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0817-x 4. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0883-0 5. https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/aerosols-and-climate/ 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0804-2 7. https://www.davidquammen.com/ 8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/08/21/questions-about-cimate-change-virus/

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1. https://ourworldindata.org/food-waste-emissions 2. https://www.recology.com/recology-san-francisco/your-three-carts/ 3. https://www.wasteconnections.com/our-services/green-waste-processing-composting 4. https://www.tesla.com/powerwall 5. https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/how-to-calculate-your-solar-payback-period 6. https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/renewable-energy-certificates-recs 7. https://www.greenamerica.org/new-green-tech-promise-and-pitfalls/climate-friendly-fridges-are-truly-cool 8. https://www.greenamerica.org/ 9. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/climate/nyt-climate-newsletter-carbon-offsets.html 10. https://www.conecomm.com/research-blog/2017-csr-study 11. https://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/38b8ab8576d24aa78170e46fd2a51acc.pdf 12. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110411005721/en/ 13. https://thespoon.tech/how-starbucks-greener-stores-project-could-affect-other-coffee-retailers/

THE CLIMATE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2020