Contributors:

Sajaa Tracy - Spotlight 19 / Environmental Deep Dive with Judith Enck & Rep Delgado
JTC / Day 866 – Climate Disaster is Here
Rep. Antonio Delgado / Tackling the Problem of Climate Change
Karen Smythe / NYS and the Environment
John Oliver / Last Week Tonight with Bill Nye

In Episode 38, Spotlight 19 takes a deep dive into the environment, with a specific focus on the PFAS issue. PFAS are a group of chemicals used to produce firefighting foam and other heavy industrial products that are known carcinogens. Companies like Dupont and 3M are just some of the entities responsible for these chemicals. Spotlight 19's own Sajaa Tracy was fortunate to speak to Judith Enck, former Region 2 EPA Administrator who provides a primer on the PFAS issue. Sajaa also spoke with Representative Antonio Delgado, who appears on the show for the first time as our Congressman (after many appearances as a candidate)! Congressman Delgado will talk about some of the legislation and work he has done on the PFAS issue. Listen HERE, or download on your podcast app HERE!

~ Sajaa Ahmed and Justin Tracy

Day 866 – Climate Disaster is Here

The recent historic flooding in the midwest is the latest reminder that our climate is already changing in ways that could be catastrophic. Farmers in the affected regions remain unable to plant a large fraction of their crops which could spell disaster for corn and soybean production later this year. And beyond the massive amounts of rainfall, there were a hundred recorded tornadoes in the span of about a week, another unprecedented statistic for the month of May.

This post isn’t meant to be melodramatic or hyperbolic. But it is meant to be alarmist. Because we should all be alarmed at the state of our planet’s ecology. There’s good reason why climate change is the Number One issue for many voters going into the 2020 election–the scientific indicators have been moving swiftly from bad to worse. If you’re not horrified, you haven’t been paying attention.

It was reported last week that Alaska and the northern hemisphere had record-breaking heat in the month of March. Alaska was, on average, around 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than usual. And the Arctic saw the greatest historical differential, around 40 degrees F warmer than usual. These are staggeringly bad numbers, and they’re in line with climate change predictions that temperatures at the polls will rise much more than temps at the equator.

FULL POST CONTINUED HERE

Congressman Antonio Delgado Tackling the Problem of Climate Change

New York State & the Environment
~ Karen Smythe

As the New York State legislative session comes to a close this month, it is important to look at what is being done to address the vitally important issue of protecting our environment and addressing climate change here in New York.

While important bills have been put forth, the Senate and the Assembly along with the Governor, need to continue to work on the individual issues as well as a bold vision to achieve the goals that have already been set out for New York. New York has a stated goal of 50% of energy consumed to come from renewable sources and a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2030. Are we on the path to achieving those goals? Are those goals bold enough? With the Federal Government actively reversing environmental protections, it’s even more important for New York to take a leadership role.

The new Democratic Majority Senate issued a whole package of bills this session, addressing issues from banning toys coated with toxic chemicals, banning harmful pesticides, increasing tax credits for solar installations, to promoting healthy lifestyles and an amendment to the NYS Constitution to ensure that clean water and air are treated as fundamental rights for New Yorkers.

Much of this legislation has been discussed off and on for years but has never made it to the Senate floor for a vote. That has changed with the new Democratic Senate Majority under the leadership of Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

Important legislation has passed. A ban on offshore drilling was passed and signed into law by the Governor in April. This bans oil and gas exploration, development, and production in State coastal and tidal underwater land and prohibits construction of any new infrastructure in New York to transport oil and natural gas developed in the North Atlantic Planning Area, federal waters offshore of the tri-state area and New England.

A Statewide ban on single-use plastic bags was signed into law on Earth Day this year and is scheduled to go into effect in March 2020. It is estimated that New York uses 23 billion – that’s billion with a ‘b’ - plastic bags each year and 50% of them end up in landfills and waterways. This ban will not only reduce plastic bags and the waste they create, it will also eliminate an estimated 12 million barrels of oil used to make these bags each year. As the ban rolls out, the Department of Environmental Conservation will work to limit the impact this ban has on low-income families. Sadly, Senator Serino voted against this ban.

An intriguing piece of legislation was introduced by Assemblymember Didi Barrett. It would establish a tax credit for farmers who maximize carbon sequestration potential through a “carbon farming” land management strategy. It’s referred to as the carbon farming act. New York is not the first state to consider this type of legislation but New York farmers have been working on regenerative agriculture or healthy soil for years. Healthy soil can trap carbon, making it a win-win for the farmer and the environment.

These are the kinds of ideas that will work together with other initiatives to make a meaningful difference in our carbon emissions and overall environmental health.

Several other bills have passed the Senate and Assembly but have not yet made it to the Governor’s desk. We’ll have to keep watching to see how this legislative year ends.

In the meantime, I encourage you to learn as much as you can about climate change and all the ways we can make a meaningful difference. A great source of information is www.drawdown.org, a website based on the #1 Best-Selling Environmental Book of 2017, “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming” Edited by Paul Hawken.

“Humans are transforming Earth’s natural landscapes so dramatically that as many as one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, posing a dire threat to ecosystems that people all over the world depend on for their survival” Read more HERE

With the Green New Deal sparking a national conversation about all the ways to combat climate change, John Oliver looks at a few potential solutions.

“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.”
~ Banksy

A new piece of street art by Banksy appeared on 26 April in London. The work shows a child holding a small Extinction Rebellion sign crouching by a newly-planted seedling.

Not yet receiving our emails? Signup HERE