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#environmental

9 posts8 participants1 post today

Minns government’s #environmental integrity condemned as ‘nonexistent’ amid 40% surge in land clearing theguardian.com/australia-news

Chris Minns promised to build bigger educational facilities in our ever expanding region, then when elected proceeded to give all the land earmarked for schools to developers to build shops & parking.

The Guardian · Minns government’s environmental integrity condemned as ‘nonexistent’ amid 40% surge in land clearingBy Lisa Cox

#ZoeDaniel with a shot across the Govt’s bow in The #Guardian:

“There’s no question it’s complicated, practically and politically. But arguably, Labor has six years in power ahead. That’s a decent runway.

And pragmatically, three-quarters of millennials and gen Z voters, now the largest group of Australian voters, named climate change as an important consideration for the 2025 election. By 2028, there will be several hundred thousand more of them. And they’ll expect something beyond more “intergenerational bastardry”.

I, for one, expect better this term from our #Labor Govt on #Environmental policies and legislation. The #Woodside licence is NOT A GOOD START!

#ClimateAction #AusPOl

Read more:
theguardian.com/commentisfree/?

The Guardian · The attack on Australia’s net zero target is reckless and gutless. Voters expect more than ‘intergenerational bastardry’By Zoe Daniel

“By emphasizing the #PublicHealth dimension, this study contributes to the discourse on #lighting as a determinant of #health and #wellbeing. Such a holistic framework aligns with the #UnitedNations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and well-being by fostering conditions that advance health for all, addressing lighting not merely as an #environmental issue but as a critical public health priority.”

link.springer.com/article/10.1

SpringerLinkFraming exposure to excessive and improper lighting as light-public health - Discover Public HealthExcessive or improper lighting can affect human health and well-being. However, lighting is seldom considered within frameworks analyzing the interrelations between the urban environment and the health and well-being of communities. Lighting-related concerns are often conceptualized and discussed in environmental terms through the light pollution frame. Positively, this frame emphasizes human responsibility for the environmental detriment and animal harm caused by lighting and promotes the discussion of aesthetics and existential dimensions connected to nocturnal darkness. Negatively, it is flawed with epistemological shortcomings and normativity; it is prone to the risk of ideological and political polarisation and tends to underemphasize the health implications of excessive and improper lighting. This study addresses this gap by arguing for the advantages of a public health framing of lighting-related concerns. In particular, it highlights how this perspective can better capture the health implications of lighting and inform urban policies. Placing light concerns within a public health framework entails presenting a relatively known landscape that resonates with the value systems of virtually everyone. This approach supports the creation of a common, multi-stakeholder space in discussions on lighting policies, balancing considerations of urban security, safety, inclusivity, and accessibility as different dimensions of diverse populations’ health and well-being. By emphasizing the public health dimension, this study contributes to the discourse on lighting as a determinant of health and well-being. Such a holistic framework aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and well-being by fostering conditions that advance health for all, addressing lighting not merely as an environmental issue but as a critical public health priority.

"The EPA Has Set Its Sights on Stop-Start Technologies" | The Truth About Cars share.google/PNm0WqwrokuT1Uo8p

I've driven several #stop-start cars, esp in Europe. I have never had any problems. The #EPA is asserting a problem here where none exists, except that some noisy people cannot instantly peel out from intersections and feel like they are entitled to do so. Because stop-start is motivated by #environmental concerns, and *that* is the actual target here, because #evil.

thetruthaboutcars.com · The EPA Has Set Its Sights on Stop-Start TechnologiesMany new cars come with stop-start technology, which allows them to shut off the engine for short periods to conserve fuel while the vehicle is stopped.However, while it might improve fuel economy, stop-start can be annoying and doesn’t always work as expected.Some owners have complained, and the EPA Administrator is on board, saying the agency would address concerns with the technology.

House Republicans pitch 23 percent cut to #EPA
While dramatic, the cut is still not as severe as the Trump administration’s proposal, which would have slashed the EPA’s budget by 54 percent.
The House GOP’s bill includes 31 percent cuts to #science and technology at the EPA and a 29 percent cut to its #environmental programs and management of the #environment.
thehill.com/policy/energy-envi

The Hill · House Republicans pitch 23 percent cut to EPABy Rachel Frazin

theguardian.com/world/2025/jul. "Brazilian lawmakers have passed a bill that drastically weakens the country’s #environmental safeguards & is seen by many #activists as the most significant setback for the country’s environmental legislation in the past 40 years." This is very bad, #Brazil, when you're supposed to be hosting #COP30, & #Lula MUST veto this legislation!

The Guardian · Brazil passes ‘devastation bill’ that drastically weakens environmental lawBy Tiago Rogero

Add #SovereignTribalNations to the list of 25 states resisting #Trump's #BudgetCuts !

#NativeCommunities could lose $24.5B under #Trump administration proposal
If upheld by the courts, the proposed freeze on #FederalGrants would affect nearly every tribe

by Amelia Schafer

Excerpt: " 'Nearly all Tribes would be affected by a federal grant freeze, with many facing the prospect of losing tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars — funding that is critical for supporting some of the most historically underserved communities in the United States,' the report concluded.

" 'When the federal government withholds funding from #Tribes and #NativeAmerican people, it’s not just a policy change. It’s a violation of those commitments — putting essential services at risk and undermining Tribal governing capacity.'

"A federal appeals court will decide if the administration has the legal authority to mass-suspend the grants, with arguments set in coming months in a lawsuit filed by the state of New York against President Donald Trump and his top administrators.

" 'as litigation around OMB’s funding freeze continues, it is essential that federal decisionmakers recognize the unique basis of funding for Tribes and #NativeAmerican people,' the report states. 'Funding to #IndianCountry is rooted in longstanding, legally-binding agreements between the United States and sovereign Tribal nations — not race, climate, or DEI.'

"At the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, the OMB issued a sweeping order announcing a halt to federal grants nationwide, throwing tribal programs into turmoil.

"Although the grant freeze was temporarily halted, the administration continues to push for its implementation, and tribes continue to report difficulties in accessing the already-approved funds, the report notes.

"The bulk of the at-risk funding is dispersed through programs such as the Department of Health and Human Services [#DHHS], the Bureau of Indian Affairs [#BIA] and the Bureau of Indian Education under the Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce and the #EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.

"If the funding freeze clears legal hurdles, critical projects across the country will be at risk, the Brookings report said. These projects include a $35 million grant to the #OglalaSioux Tribe for #broadband development, a $3 million grant to urban #NativeHealth board for community health worker training, and a $200,000 grant to the #Chickahominy Indian Tribe for preliminary #engineering and #environmental work towards a #childcare center.

" 'This is the building block of how the U.S. government pays back tribes for the land it took,' Maxim said.

"The report does not include the sweeping cuts approved under Trump’s so-called '#BigBeautifulBill' by Congress, which includes cuts to #Medicaid, #FoodStamps and other social programs that include Native people as well as others, Brookings officials said.

"The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization based in Washington, D.C. Maxim co-authored the report with Glencora Haskins, research associate and applied research manager."

Read more:
ictnews.org/news/tribes-could-

ICT News · Native communities could lose $24.5B under Trump administration proposalBy Amelia Schafer