Environmental Justice

COP30 — Why It Won’t Save the Planet

Just under two months from the start of the annual global forum for managing climate change — the United Nations’ conference of parties beginning Nov. 10 in Belém, Brazil — our Backgrounder analysis laments the vanishingly small chance that nations will agree on managing steadily rising greenhouse gas emissions. A look at the obstacles, plus COP30 reporting challenges, from hotel expenses to diplomatic spin.

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How Tribal Radio Stations Are Preparing For A Future Without The CPB

"In the most remote parts of Alaska, staying in touch can involve a bit more effort than sending a text. Cell service is spotty, highways are nonexistent, and the postal service remains a vital lifeline, delivering supplies and mail by plane. But for anyone who wants to broadcast a different kind of message — a reminder to pick up milk, for example, or birthday wishes — there’s always the Muktuk Telegram."

Source: Nieman Lab, 09/15/2025

Network Enables Indigenous People To Show Amazon Changes For Themselves

"Deep in the Amazon, sound designer Eric Terena has been capturing the sounds of the rainforest while sitting silently beneath the dense, towering treetops with his recording equipment. He has noticed some huge changes."

Source: The Conversation, 09/12/2025

"Building Toward Disaster: Growth Collides With Rising Seas In Charleston"

"A billion-dollar seawall may shield the city’s wealthy core — but not the vulnerable communities beyond it. Who will be forced to move?"

Source: Floodlight, 09/12/2025

"House Republicans Add To Support For Maintaining NIH Budget In 2026"

"Like a Senate panel in July, a U.S. House of Representatives spending committee has rejected President Donald Trump’s request to gut the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A bill released today would give the agency a base budget of about $47 billion in the 2026 fiscal year that begins on 1 October, essentially the same level as this year."

Source: Science, 09/12/2025

"RFK Jr. Wants More Air Pollution Research, But EPA Shut Down Its Lab"

"Researching air quality is key to improving kids’ health, according to a new strategy from the Make America Healthy Again Commission unveiled Tuesday by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. There’s just one problem: EPA, under Zeldin’s leadership, has shuttered the preeminent laboratory in the country studying air pollution’s impact on people."

Source: E&E News, 09/12/2025

Many Countries Are Saying No To ‘Unthinkable’ Room Costs For Climate Talks

"Brazil brought the U.N.’s COP30 climate conference to the Amazon. Then the price frenzy began." "The idea had seemed symbolically fitting at first — a global climate summit set on the edge of the threatened Amazon rainforest."

Source: Washington Post, 09/11/2025

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