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The report examines the intersection of air pollution and labor markets in East and Southeast Asia, highlighting a significant gap in research and policy regarding informal workers. It finds that while formal sectors are regulated, informal workers—including street vendors and agricultural laborers—face high exposure with minimal social protection. Health burdens are highest in China and Mongolia for ambient pollution, and in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar for household pollution. The report argues that current solutions are overly technocentric and fail to address the social inequalities and structural vulnerabilities that determine exposure levels.

The report details how the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP) uses open burn and open detonation (OB/OD) to destroy military munitions, releasing millions of pounds of toxins into the environment. It highlights a lack of transparency from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) and the facility's failure to assess cumulative health impacts, resulting in elevated risks of asthma and cancer for nearby residents. The document recommends ending open burning, implementing third-party alternatives assessments, and conducting community health assessments.

The document calls for the immediate phase-out of the U.S. federal coal leasing program, citing a 2021 study stating that 90% of global coal reserves must remain unextracted by 2050 to meet a 1.5°C climate target. It highlights two recent court victories: one re-imposing a moratorium on new coal leasing on federal lands until a comprehensive environmental analysis is completed, and another striking down resource management plans for the Powder River Basin. The author asserts that the Biden administration must now address the harm from existing leases, noting that as of 2021, the Bureau of Land Management administered 299 federal coal leases across approximately 458,600 acres.

A coalition of over 1,000 health professionals and 200 organizations, including the WHO, is calling for a legally binding global plan to phase out fossil fuels. The group highlights that major economies are increasing support for coal, oil, and gas, which undermines climate goals and causes severe health issues, including air pollution and occupational diseases. They propose a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty based on three pillars: stopping new production, winding down existing use, and ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities, with high-income countries providing necessary support to developing nations.

A coalition of environmental and community groups argues that SSM exemptions in Clean Air Act section 111 regulations are unlawful and disproportionately harm low-income communities and communities of color. The petitioners claim these loopholes allow industrial facilities to emit pollutants far exceeding normal levels without consequence, particularly during natural disasters. They assert that the D.C. Circuit's ruling in Sierra Club v. EPA established that emissions standards must apply continuously, making the current SSM exemptions and the 'general duty' provision legally invalid. The document calls for a unified rulemaking to remove all remaining NSPS and NESHAP loopholes to ensure public health protection and environmental justice.

The report finds that air quality is severely underfunded, accounting for only 0.5% of international development funding and less than 0.1% of philanthropic spending between 2015 and 2020. While 72% of development funding for air quality also addresses climate change, only 2.2% of international public climate finance explicitly targets air pollution. The analysis highlights a critical misalignment in priorities, noting that international development funders committed $46.6 billion to projects prolonging fossil fuel use between 2015-2021, more than four times the amount spent on air quality. Geographically, funding is concentrated in Asia, the US, China, and India, leaving Africa and Latin America underserved; in Africa, funding for fossil fuel-prolonging projects was 36 times higher than for clean air measures from 2015-2021.

The document outlines the potential for zero-emissions trucks (ZETs) to reduce India's oil imports, air pollution, and carbon emissions by 2050. It highlights that medium-duty ZETs already have a lower total cost of ownership than diesel trucks, with heavy-duty parity expected by 2027.

A coalition of environmental justice advocates, including Earthjustice and the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, submitted comments on the New Jersey DEP's proposed Environmental Justice (EJ) rules. The coalition argues for a narrow interpretation of the 'compelling public interest' exception, specifically opposing the use of economic benefits or job creation as justifications for permitting new polluting facilities in overburdened communities. They recommend expanding public notification radii to five kilometers, refining the definitions of 'new facility' and 'incinerator' to include technologies like pyrolysis and gasification, and adopting more sensitive air quality metrics based on WHO guidelines rather than EPA NAAQS. The document also emphasizes that race is the strongest predictor of pollution burden in New Jersey, citing historical redlining and systemic failures in DEP's permitting and enforcement processes as drivers of environmental racism.

The report finds that strong methane standards in the U.S. oil and gas sector would create significant employment without negatively impacting drilling activity. The CATF 65% plan is projected to create nearly 220,000 total jobs (including 64,000 direct jobs), while the EPA proposal would create 92,000 total jobs (including 27,000 direct jobs). These jobs span manufacturing, installation, and ongoing operations and maintenance, with a significant portion being non-offshorable and potentially unionized.

The document outlines the extensive health benefits of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, emphasizing that such a shift must be 'just' by focusing on the most vulnerable and remediating past damages. It identifies significant reductions in premature deaths from air pollution and occupational hazards, while highlighting opportunities for improved healthcare access and urban wellbeing. The briefing proposes three core principles—inclusive decision-making, health impact tracking, and nature restoration—and provides policy recommendations on redirecting fossil fuel subsidies, integrated ministerial planning, and prioritizing clean cooking solutions.

The document advocates for a just energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, emphasizing that this shift must prioritize social and ecological justice to maximize health benefits. It highlights that ending fossil fuel reliance can prevent millions of premature deaths from air pollution and reduce occupational hazards in mining and oil/gas sectors. The briefing proposes three core principles—inclusive decision-making, health impact tracking, and nature restoration—and recommends redirecting the $425 billion annual fossil fuel subsidies toward clean energy and health services.

The document argues that transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy must prioritize social and ecological justice to avoid replicating centralized power structures. It highlights that such a transition could prevent millions of premature deaths annually by reducing air pollution and eliminating occupational hazards for energy workers. The briefing outlines a framework for 'healthy cities' and 'healthy economies,' emphasizing the need to redirect fossil fuel subsidies toward clean energy and health protection. Key recommendations include inclusive decision-making, mandatory health impact monitoring for new energy investments, and the restoration of nature and health damaged during the fossil fuel era.

The report examines the rapid growth of proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining in the U.S. following China's 2021 ban. It argues that the industry's high energy demands drive the revival of defunct fossil-fuel power plants, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and place financial burdens on electricity ratepayers. The document also details local harms, including noise and water pollution, and debunks industry claims regarding sustainability and grid stability.

The briefing challenges the narrative that natural gas is a clean energy alternative, detailing the high methane potency and life-cycle emissions of LNG. It highlights that Bangladesh has over US $16 billion in gas infrastructure in development despite existing power overcapacity. The document argues that gas 'lock-in' impedes renewable energy adoption and notes that coal-to-gas conversions offer limited greenhouse gas reductions. It concludes by advocating for a total phase-out of fossil fuels in favor of utility-scale renewables to meet 2050 climate goals.

The document analyzes the global landscape of fossil fuel subsidies, noting a significant rise to almost USD 700 billion in 2021. It distinguishes between production and consumption subsidies—the latter making up 86% of 2019 estimates—and highlights how these supports distort international trade through 'pass-through' effects. The briefing argues that reforming these subsidies could reduce CO2 emissions by an average of 6% by 2030 across 32 economies, especially if savings are reinvested in clean energy. It also details the role of the WTO and other international forums (G7, G20, APEC) in establishing disciplines to phase out inefficient subsidies.

The document examines the intersectional impacts of air pollution on informal workers in three craft villages in Hanoi, Viet Nam. It finds that gender norms, age, and migrant status create unequal exposure to pollutants, with women often confined to indoor facilities and young men undertaking the most hazardous tasks. The brief highlights a lack of specific national and local regulations for craft villages and recommends holistic policy amendments, the formalization of labor contracts, and the establishment of specific occupational hygiene criteria to protect vulnerable informal workers.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that the United States can achieve a 98 percent reduction in transportation emissions by 2050 through rapid vehicle electrification, strengthened efficiency standards, and a transition to renewable electricity. The proposed 'Core scenario' involves ending sales of passenger cars and light trucks by 2035 and medium- and heavy-duty trucks by 2040, reducing liquid fuel use by 84 percent by midcentury. These pathways are deemed economically viable, with net energy costs estimated at less than 1 percent of GDP. The report emphasizes that this transition must be coupled with a power grid shift to 97 percent zero-carbon sources by 2050 and a focus on environmental justice for overburdened communities.

Earthjustice and several partner organizations request that the BLM defer approval of oil and gas drilling permits in Kern County, California. They argue the BLM has violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other laws by failing to provide public comment periods on Environmental Assessments (EAs). The statement highlights severe public health risks to environmental justice communities in Kern County, including high rates of asthma and cancer, and argues that the BLM's air emissions estimates are unrealistically low and violate the Clean Air Act. It further demands a 'hard look' at water scarcity, groundwater contamination from unlined waste pits, and the climate impacts of carbon-intensive California crude. Finally, it asserts that new drilling threatens the critically imperiled Temblor legless lizard.

A federal court ruling in Montana has halted coal leasing on federal lands, reinstating a moratorium because the environmental and health impacts of coal were insufficiently accounted for. Earthjustice asserts that this creates a critical opening for the Biden administration to move beyond its current support of lease applications and instead phase out coal extraction, increase royalty rates to reflect true costs, and support transitioning coal-mining communities.

The Progressive Community Church in Gary, Indiana, has implemented a multifaceted sustainability strategy to combat high energy burdens and industrial pollution in the Emerson neighborhood. By installing a 7.6 kW solar array and energy efficiency upgrades, the church achieved net-zero electricity for eleven months of the year and assisted community members in accessing weatherization grants. Additionally, the church established the F.A.I.T.H. Farm, producing 15,000 pounds of food annually, and is developing an urban park to mitigate heat stress and improve air quality.