In the past I have considered how, for some topics, certain individuals are more easily persuaded compared to others. Karin Kirk, in her article for Yale Climate Connections, introduces the spectrum of persuadability. There is a good figure in her blog post illustrating the spectrum. As Kirk explains, the spectrum of persuadability includes the following…
Month: November 2018
Hog Waste Overflows in North and South Carolina
So, I’m sure we all heard about the effects of Hurricane Florence, but the effects of the hog waste overflows on the local communities have been devastating. To preface, the main perpetrator was Smithfield Foods, where millions of gallons of hog waste escaped from two of their lagoons. These lagoons can hold billions of gallons…
Freezing Rain Still Means Global Warming
The freezing rain and snow falling down on Pittsburgh this past week officially kicks off winter. With this, also begins the naysayers of global warming. Frigid temperatures and snow throughout the United States shows only a small percentage of global climate. Temperature measurements taken on land and from water over the past decade shows upward…
Wilkinsburg Weekly Part 3 – Vacant Home Art
In week three of Wilkinsburg Weekly, I wanted to share these photos of some of the Wilkinsburg vacant homes. Boarded up windows are colorfully painted and make the best of what would be drab, vacant, blight. Artists added paintings to the homes that are part of the Wilkinsburg Vacant Homes Tour, which aims to inspire…
Buses keep Moving Even With Electricity
Carbon emitting vehicles have played a major part in the reason why our air is so polluted. Forms of public transportation, like buses and subway trains, have helped with the reduction of air pollution. With public transportation, air pollution is reduced because those people aren’t driving their own vehicles, rather they are riding together on…
Link to Grist Environmental Blog
LGBTQ and environmental have a lot more in common than you might think… Learn more by clicking on the link below. https://grist.org/article/transgender-rights-climate-intersectionality
California Wildfires
California Wildfires have become the talk of the nation over the past few weeks. Of course, coverage could not be complete without presidential insight. President Trump made headlines when he placed blame for the fires destruction on gross mismanagement. This statement stirred up a rather large controversy. Both citizens and news analysts were quick to refute Trump’s…
Alaskan Pebble Mines
The Trump appointed director of the EPA Scott Pruitt overturned the Obama-era environmental regulations protecting one of the largest salmon fisheries in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed. The Obama administration set a precedent through the Clean Water Act which specifically protected this region of Alaska; this environmental regulation protects the area from the Pebble Mines that…
Upcoming Environmental Events
Shale and Public Health Conference This free event is happening today (until 5pm) at the University of Pittsburgh University Club. The address is: 123 University Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Topics include: “research on childhood cancer in Pennsylvania, Public Health and the Plastics Lifestyle, and shale gas activity and sexually transmitted infections in Ohio.” SCDN Webinar…
Environmental Justice For All
Air pollution, bad water, and health problems plague the community of Braddock, PA. Home to 1,841 people, and a 30.3 percent poverty rate, Braddock faces environmental problems daily. 61 percent of Braddock residents are African-American. Braddock is a prime example of what comes to mind when I hear the phrase “environmental racism”. Recently CityLab ,…