Nature-based solutions (NbS), a hotly debated concept, gained significant political traction throughout 2022, even as challenges and concerns over the failure to implement biodiversity and human rights safeguards in current and future NbS projects have increased among Indigenous peoples and NGOs. Recent global policy instruments have recognized NbS, including theContinue Reading
Giving legal rights to rivers and trees is touted as a potential solution to environmental damage. But history suggests its effect will be minor. In November 2022 the Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss recommended to government that protecting the environment should be recognised in the constitution. If successful, Ireland will follow Ecuador inContinue Reading
You may have heard the old adage about Broadway; “You can make a killing; you just can’t make a living.” Of course, there’s potential for blockbuster returns a la Hamilton–but it’s been often reported that barely 20% of productions return even their initial investment. So, why should you read anyContinue Reading
As each year dwindles to a close, IPWatchdog puts together a list of Iconic Toys and Games that have become wild commercial successes, thanks in large part to the patents, trademarks and copyrights protecting the commercial sale of those products. This year, we’re taking a more modern approach by lookingContinue Reading
SÃO PAULO — As President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prepares to take office on January 1, indigenous organizations in Brazil are pressuring him to revert President Jair Bolsonaro’s policies on land grants for native peoples and on environmental protection. According to such groups, deep transformations are needed, given thatContinue Reading
Bad air Re: “City eyes ban on gas-powered lawn tools — Environmental factors prompt proposed shift for all in 2027 or 2030,” Nov. 28 Metro & Business story. It is past time for Dallas to join the 100 cities across the U.S. to ban gas-powered lawn equipment. Dallas’ air pollutionContinue Reading
In a recent US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) letter issued to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), the Biden Administration deploys its plans to use the “whole of government” to address what it believes are long-standing civil rights concerns which are eitherContinue Reading
Two congressional Democrats seeking reelection in Ventura County are campaigning to represent significantly altered districts, with some observers saying the once-a-decade shift following redistricting could provide better chances for Republican challengers. Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara was elected to Congress in 2016 after many years on the Santa Barbara CountyContinue Reading
Saturday, October 22, 2022 On September 24, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the creation of a new national office dedicated to advancing environmental justice (EJ) and civil rights. Known as the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, the creation of the new office delivers on aContinue Reading
The EPA is conducting a civil rights probe into the Jackson, Miss., water crisis. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is holding firm despite pushback from the U.S. over the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production, and the Biden administration prevailed in a court challenge to the “social costs” of greenhouse gases. ThisContinue Reading
