Exposed: Linking Human Health and the Environment

As an assortment of pollutants leach into our lives, the harmful effects continue to surface in public health. Read about the connections between human health and environmental concerns associated with energy, pesticides and climate change. This article is featured in an Appalachian Voices webinar

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We won’t stop until we’ve won in Virginia

Virginia Sierra ClubDespite last week’s legislative hearing on the Clean Power Plan in Richmond being stacked with pro-industry speakers, the legislators could not fail to notice just how many Virginians took the time to be there to watch and listen, and how passionately they care about shifting to clean energy.

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The People’s Climate March: Hope makes a comeback

1webApproximately 100 students from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., traveled to New York for the People’s Climate March. They joined thousands of other students and passionate youth from across the country who are eager to roll up their sleeves and build a better future. In this post, Maggie Cozens, an Appalachian Voices intern, shares her perspective after participating in the march.

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We Made History! Highlights from the People’s Climate March

march5Last weekend, Appalachian Voices joined 400,000 people in New York City for the largest climate march in history. And it was truly inspiring. While massive extractive fossil fuel interests try everything in their power to tighten their grip on our region’s energy future, it’s moments like these that show we are making progress.

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Prevailing Politics Influence State Reactions to EPA Carbon Rule

By Brian Sewell Flexibility: it’s the foundation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants. “That’s what makes it ambitious, but achievable,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said when she unveiled the plan on June 2. “The glue that holds this plan together, and the key to making it…

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The Case of the Shrinking Salamanders

By Amber Ellis This year marked the hottest May and June in global record-keeping history, and it seems like salamanders across Appalachia are withering in the heat. A June study in Global Change Biology found that climate change may be having a negative effect on six Appalachian salamander species. According to the study, spells of…

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An activist is born

An Appalachian Voices intern attends her first-ever environmental rally and finds a sense of belonging among other advocates calling for clean energy and climate action. “It’s one thing to wear the pins and stickers; it’s another thing to feel empowered by your peers to take action and work towards a common goal,” Marissa Wheeler writes.

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Is Obama’s Climate Action Plan on Track?

Picture-9Since the release of his administration’s Climate Action Plan in June 2013, has Obama made strides in developing a clean energy economy and protecting the environment? Let’s take a look at his five-pronged approach to address climate change.

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’80s Flashback: Dr. Hansen’s carbon dioxide warning

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2013 International Energy OutlookOn this date in 1988, Dr. James Hansen of NASA testified about the scientific evidence clearly linking carbon dioxide to global climate shifts before a Congressional committee. But Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” was one of the top tunes of the time and that attitude drowned out climate scientists for years. Twenty-six years later, America is beginning to take Hansen’s warning seriously.

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