06 April 2023 - NPWJ News Digest on Environmental Justice & Human Rights

Articles

Rhode Island proposes Environmental Justice Act
Recycling Today, 05 Apr 2023

The state of Rhode Island has proposed a bill that would create “environmental justice focus areas” where state agencies would have more discretion in permitting a variety of industrial land uses that tend to pollute, including several that are part of the recycling process. The Environmental Justice Act (HB 6196) would create a process to ensure community members in environmental justice areas are heard and give regulating agencies more discretion in issuing permits, Rhode Island Rep. Karen Alzate said during a March 30 meeting of the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. 

Continua

Climate change: Norwegian seafloor holds clue to Antarctic melting
BBC, 05 Apr 2023

Antarctica's melting ice sheet could retreat much faster than previously thought, new research suggests. The evidence comes from markings on the seafloor off Norway that record the pull-back of a melting European ice sheet thousands of years ago. Today, the fastest withdrawing glaciers in Antarctica are seen to retreat by up to 30m a day. But if they sped up, the extra melt water would have big implications for sea-level rises around the globe.

Continua

Group Hosts Seminar About Intersections Between Racialized Communities And Environmental Justice
The Concordian, 05 Apr 2023

Racialized people fighting for a better system and developing a sustainable world. Brick by Brick, a non-profit organization for social change, hosted a seminar on racialized people and their engagement in environmental justice on March 30. Alexandra Pierre organized this event with the Concordia Office of Community Engagement. The seminar tackled the following question: “How are racialized activists transforming environmental struggles?”. Nadia Bunyan, the seminar’s moderator, highlighted that climate change is worsening because of the systems that were put in place. 

Continua

Nairobi Conference On Climate Justice Sets 10-Point Judicial Agenda
Capital News, 05 Apr 2023

The 3rd Regional Symposium on Greening Judiciaries in Africa convened in Nairobi has agreed on a 10-point climate justice action plan including a commitment to develop a trans-national framework on environmental law. The conference which closed on Wednesday after deliberations featuring panel discussions and dialogue among 26 Chief Justices from African States agreed to scale up knowledge sharing in a bid to enrich jurisprudence on environmental law. 

Continua

Achieving true environmental justice requires moving beyond the rhetoric
The Hill, 05 Apr 2023

There is overwhelming evidence displaying the correlation between these health disparities and the multitude of pollution sources, such as heavy-duty trucks, railyards, locomotives, marine vessels, inland and seaports, as well as warehouses. Research consistently shows the connections between exposure to pollution and a shorter lifespan. Ultimately, a person’s race and zip code are still the best predictors of their health, well-being and life expectancy.

Continua

UN Report Details Actions to Minimize Negative Impacts of Pesticides
International Institute for Sustainable Development, 05 Apr 2023

In response to a 2017 request by the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), produced a report on the adverse impacts of pesticides and fertilizers and what can be done to minimize them. The ‘Synthesis Report on the Environmental and Health Impacts of Pesticides and Fertilizers and Ways to Minimize Them’ presents a comprehensive review of available information on environmental and health effects of pesticides and fertilizers and their potential impacts, as well as knowledge gaps and suggested actions to fill them. The report also reviews relevant management practices, legislation, and policies. 

Continua

Moves to crystallise right to a healthy environment spark tension at UN
Climate Home News, 04 Apr 2023

The UN Human Rights Council has encouraged governments to adopt policies and an effective legal framework to implement the right to a healthy environment, a resolution that sparked tensions between proponent countries and the US. The resolution passed today, led by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia, and Switzerland, reaffirms the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and called on states to protect environmental defenders trying to uphold it. It also calls on UN treaty bodies to promote its implementation.

Continua