Disasters

"President Trump finalized a major overhaul Wednesday of one of the country’s most consequential environmental laws on the grounds that it has slowed the construction of highways, pipelines and other major projects across the country. The sweeping changes to the 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act, which opponents have vowed to fight in court and reverse if Democrats regain control of the executive and legislative branches this fall, underscore the stakes in this year’s election."

"Rising seas are bringing water into communities at record rates, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday."

"Climate experts have watched with an uneasy sense of deja vu as national and local public health leaders have been harassed, insulted and threatened."

"Four former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blasted the Trump administration's 'repeated efforts to subvert' agency guidelines related to reopening schools, accusing the White House in a scathing Washington Post op-ed of undermining science with 'partisan potshots.'"

"The Trump administration has ordered hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all Covid-19 patient information to a central database in Washington beginning on Wednesday. The move has alarmed health experts who fear the data will be politicized or withheld from the public."

"Pandemic prompted states to temporarily ban reusable grocery bags and stalled legislation aimed at reducing plastic packaging".

"More than 350 facilities nationwide have taken advantage of a temporary Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that lets companies forgo monitoring their water pollution during the pandemic."

"The UN Secretary-General has told a meeting of ministers it is "vital" the world moves towards clean energy. Antonio Guterres said decisions on recovery strategies must account for the need to transition to a more sustainable future."