WASHINGTON, February 25, 2020 – Ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft have experienced exponential growth in a short period of time. The expansion of these services is changing transportation, but that rapid growth also comes with significant risks. A new report, “Ride-Hailing’s Climate Risks: Steering a Growing Industry Toward a Clean Transportation Future,” by the Union of […]
Union of Concerned Scientists
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UCS: Virginia Rep. McEachin Lays Out Bold Vision to Transition to Net Zero Emissions by 2050
WASHINGTON (November 21, 2019)—Today, Rep. Don McEachin (D-Va.) and other cosponsors introduced the 100 Percent Clean Economy Act of 2019. The bill would set a national goal to achieve a 100-percent clean energy economy no later than 2050, direct federal agencies to use their existing authority toward that goal, and create a clean economy federal […]
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Study Predicts Additional Month of 100-Degree Days at US Military Bases by Midcentury
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2019—Over the next three decades U.S. military bases in the contiguous United States could average an extra month of dangerously hot days each year when the heat index—or “feels like” temperature—exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an analysis released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Building on data from UCS’ […]
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77 Groups Join to Counter Trump Administration Attack on Science Advice
Washington, October 4, 2019 – Political appointees in the Trump administration are already starting to eliminate science advisory committees, following a presidential executive order earlier this year directing agencies to reduce the total number of advisory committees by a third. This effort to undermine science advice has drawn strong opposition from the science community and […]
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Joel Clement: Bureau of Land Management Headquarters to Move in with Chevron
Sept. 27, 2019 – Congress has been severely vexed by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s rush to dismantle and relocate the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to his home state, and he has refused to provide details about cost and rationale. With suspicion swirling that it is simply a power grab to get career staff out […]
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Don Anair: Trump Administration Goes After States for Protecting the Environment
Sept. 6, 2019 – The Trump administration has been on a collision course with California, and it appears that collision is imminent. An administrative action to undermine the authority granted to the state by the Clean Air Act to protect its citizens from vehicle pollution appears to be imminent. This illegal attack is not just harmful […]
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Alden Meyer: Pres. Trump More Concerned With Helping Election-Meddling Russia Than Acting on Climate Crisis
WASHINGTON, August 26, 2019—The G7 leaders summit just concluded in Biarritz, France, with a one-page declaration. Due to deep divisions between the U.S. and the other six industrialized countries, the declaration failed to mention climate change or the Paris Agreement. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement—adopted by nearly 200 countries in […]
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David Wright: Why Did the Pentagon Conduct a Treaty-Violating Test?
Aug. 21, 2019 – On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that it had launched a Tomahawk cruise missile with a range “more than 500 kilometers” from a ground-based launcher at a test site in California. The purpose, it said, was to use “data collected and lessons learned from this test” to “inform the Department of Defense’s […]
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Joseph Daniel: As Heatwave Blankets Nation, Utility Disconnect Policies Can Kill
July 22, 2019 – As temperatures increase, so does our reliance on things like air conditioning. That increased electric load can stress the grid, but it can also stress our pocketbooks with the increased use of A/C translating into increased electric bills. Sadly, an increasing number of people in the United States struggle to pay their electric […]
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Southwest Region Areas to Endure 7 Weeks or More a Year When “Feels Like” Temperature Exceeds 105 Degrees
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2019—Increases in potentially lethal heat driven by climate change will affect every state in the contiguous U.S. in the decades ahead, according to a new report and accompanying peer-reviewed study in Environmental Research Communications, both by the Union of Concerned Scientists, released today. Few places would be unaffected by extreme heat conditions by […]
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Gretchen Goldman: Wheeler’s Breathtaking Ignorance of Science, in One Comment
June 7, 2019 – At the EPA’s Science Advisory Board meeting, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler made comments on the agency’s proposed Restricting Science Rule that raised eyebrows for anyone who understands the basics of health studies. In his defense of the rule (which the scientific community agrees will severely hamstring the agency’s ability to rely on the best available science […]
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Urgent Action on Climate Change Will Prevent Heat-Related Deaths in Major US Cities
WASHINGTON, June 6, 2019—The planet will warm by about 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century if the U.S. and other nations meet only their current commitments under the Paris climate agreement to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases. According to a paper by U.S. and U.K. scientists published in Science […]
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Carly Phillips: The Vicious Climate-Wildfire Cycle
May 6, 2019 – With little fanfare and scant news coverage, fire season 2019 has arrived. Firefighters are already containing blazes in several states, including Colorado, Florida, and Oklahoma, and seasonal outlooks suggest that significant wildfires are likely in parts of Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast. While forest management and human development have increased […]
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House Leaders Introduce Legislation Requiring US to Remain in Paris Climate Agreement
WASHINGTON March 27, 2019 – Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) along with other members of the House introduced H. RES 9 – the Climate Action Now Act. This bill urges the United States to honor its commitment to the Paris climate agreement, blocks the federal government from using funds to advance withdrawal from that […]
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GAO Report Concludes Climate Change Will Cost Taxpayers Even More if Government Fails to Act
WASHINGTON, March 6, 2019 – The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released its 2019 “High Risk” report, which—like previous reports—concluded that climate change is a major threat to taxpayer-funded federal programs and that the government must do more to address this ever-worsening problem. Produced every two years, the report identifies federal agencies and programs […]
Posted inCalifornia
Higher Tides Will Threaten More than 20,000 Coastal Homes by Mid-Century
OAKLAND, CA, June 18, 2018 – Accelerating sea level rise along California’s shoreline, primarily driven by climate change, is projected to put more than 20,000 coastal homes at risk of chronic, disruptive flooding within the next 30 years, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The California homes at […]
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Scientists Tell Congress: Don’t Strip Science Out of the Endangered Species Act
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2018—Nearly 1,500 scientists sent a letter to members of Congress today, Endangered Species Day, urging them to oppose legislation that would weaken the role science plays in protecting endangered species and their ecosystems. Several bills have been introduced that would undercut the Endangered Species Act, including delisting species without a scientific basis, […]
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Dave Cooke: Automakers Pretend President Trump Isn’t Giving Them Exactly What They Asked For
May 11, 2018 – Today, automakers are meeting with President Trump to discuss his administration’s plans to rollback fuel efficiency and emissions standards on light-duty vehicles. Since reports of the proposal first began to leak, we’ve seen a number of statements from automakers claiming that this wasn’t what they asked for. Unfortunately, these statements ring hollow—and their […]
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Scientists Oppose Pruitt’s Research Restrictions
WASHINGTON, April 23, 2018 – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is set to introduce a new policy that would severely hamstring the agency when it comes to developing and enforcing public health rules by limiting the kinds of research the EPA can use in crafting rules. In a letter, led by former EPA […]
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Genna Reed: Peter Wright’s Nomination at EPA Means Superfund Conflicts of Interest in Almost All 50 States
April 17, 2018 – Last month, the Trump administration nominated Peter Wright from DowDuPont to serve as Assistant Administrator at the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM). This office plays a critical role in protecting public health by enforcing the Superfund program (the government’s effort to clean up sites that are contaminated with […]