Insights + Opinion

Vote as if the Climate and the Future of Humanity Depend on It—Because They Do

Vote as if the Climate and the Future of Humanity Depend on It—Because They Do

By Bill McKibben To understand the planetary importance of this autumn’s presidential election, check the calendar. Voting ends on November 3—and by a fluke of timing, on the morning of November 4 the United States is scheduled to pull out of the Paris Agreement. President Trump announced that we would abrogate our Paris commitments during […]

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    Can Cities Go Zero-Waste? One Japanese Town Tried

    Can Cities Go Zero-Waste? One Japanese Town Tried

    By Olivia Sullivan One of the many unfortunate outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic has been the quick and obvious increase in single-use plastic products. After COVID-19 arrived in the United States, many grocery stores prohibited customers from using reusable bags, coffee shops banned reusable mugs, and takeout food with plastic forks and knives became the […]

    Coronavirus Shines Light on Zoos as Danger Zones for Deadly Disease Transmission Between Humans and Animals

    Coronavirus Shines Light on Zoos as Danger Zones for Deadly Disease Transmission Between Humans and Animals

    By Marilyn Kroplick The term “zoonotic disease” wasn’t a hot topic of conversation before the novel coronavirus started spreading across the globe and upending lives. Now, people are discovering how devastating viruses that transfer from animals to humans can be. But the threat can go both ways — animals can also get sick from humans. […]

    Groundwater Sustainability Is Needed More Than Ever

    Groundwater Sustainability Is Needed More Than Ever

    By Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida The immediate emergency of COVID-19 has been a powerful reminder that the most valuable things in our lives are our families, friends, and the welfare of our communities. The current pandemic is a threat to those closest to us today in a way that presages what we will experience on […]

    Donald Trump Wants a Fight on the Green New Deal. So Do We

    Donald Trump Wants a Fight on the Green New Deal. So Do We

    By Varshini Prakash and John Podesta At the 2019 Republican Retreat, Donald Trump promised his allies that he would make this election about climate change: “I want to bring them way down the pike,” he said, “before we start criticizing the Green New Deal.” At his Tulsa rally in June, and in many of the […]

    The Next Election Is About the Next 10,000 Years

    The Next Election Is About the Next 10,000 Years

    By Bill McKibben The upcoming election looks to be an apocalyptic turning point for our democracy—and our planet. In Turnout! Mobilizing Voters in an Emergency, political visionaries and movement leaders such as Bill McKibben define the urgency of this moment and provide a manual for turning out voters in an age of extreme inequality, climate […]

    Climate Change, Oil Development Threaten Alaska’s Polar Bears

    Climate Change, Oil Development Threaten Alaska’s Polar Bears

    By Jennie Gosché In late 2019, before the world was completely upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, I was presented a last-minute chance to photograph polar bears outside one of the northernmost villages in the United States — Kaktovik, Alaska. It was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse, and as the COVID-19 pandemic now stretches into summer […]

    Now Is the Perfect Time to Rethink Green Transportation

    Now Is the Perfect Time to Rethink Green Transportation

    By Kevin J. Krizek Sticking closer to home because of COVID-19 has shown many people what cities can be like with less traffic, noise, congestion and pollution. Roads and parking lots devoted to cars take up a lot of land. For example, in Phoenix, Los Angeles and New York City these spaces account for over […]

    Marathon Petroleum Takes Bailout Tax Breaks During Pandemic

    Marathon Petroleum Takes Bailout Tax Breaks During Pandemic

    By Sarah Thomas and Nathan Heffernan Fossil fuel companies have reaped millions of dollars in benefits from a stimulus package intended to help struggling Americans and the economy. Among these is Marathon Petroleum, the largest oil refiner in the country, which has a history of air pollution violations impacting low-income and Black and Brown communities. […]