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The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that the US federal government has lacked science leadership since 2017, citing delayed appointments and reduced staffing at the OSTP. To remedy this, the document proposes a series of immediate actions for a new administration, including appointing a nationally respected scientist as OSTP director, restoring federal advisory committees, and establishing interagency working groups to address COVID-19, environmental justice, and scientific integrity. It emphasizes the need for a science-based budget and stronger whistleblower protections to prevent political interference in research.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that marginalized communities in the US face disproportionate environmental and health harms, which are exacerbated by systemic racism within federal agencies. The document recommends that agencies make equity-based analyses mandatory for significant policies, strengthen scientific integrity, and dismantle internal racial biases. Specific calls to action include rescinding certain EPA and CEQ rules, increasing the number of health and safety inspectors, and improving the meaningful participation of frontline and tribal communities in rulemaking processes.

Earthjustice has developed the Better Lead Policy toolkit to shift the approach to lead poisoning from reacting to blood tests to proactive primary prevention. The toolkit includes a Policy Generator for rental inspection programs, a Cheat Sheet for program elements, and a Deep Dive section featuring examples from over two dozen communities. The document highlights the disproportionate impact of lead poisoning on Black and Latinx children and cites the success of prevention programs in Rochester, New York, and Cleveland.

GreenLatinos condemns the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, highlighting how fear of racial profiling prevents African Americans and Latinos from exercising outdoors or visiting public lands. The organization calls for comprehensive hate crimes legislation in Georgia, federal criminal charges from the Department of Justice, and a systemic acknowledgment of discrimination by public land administrators.

GreenLatinos condemns the Trump Administration's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule as a dangerous replacement for the Clean Power Plan. The organization highlights that the ACE rule's regulatory analysis predicted 300 to 1,500 additional deaths annually by 2030 due to increased air pollution. GreenLatinos emphasizes the disproportionate impact on Latinx and African American communities, noting that 40% of Latinos live within 30 miles of a power plant and Latinx children face a 40% higher likelihood of dying from asthma compared to non-Latinx white children.

The Life After Coal campaign, comprising the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), groundWork (gW), and Earthlife Africa (ELA), submitted formal objections on 28 August 2020 against Eskom's applications for alternative emission limits at the Medupi and Matimba power stations. The campaign argues that these requests are an unlawful attempt to circumvent South Africa's Minimum Emission Standards (MES) and violate constitutional rights to a healthy environment.

The document condemns the July 18, 2020, kidnapping of four members of the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna organization OFRANEH from the Triunfo de la Cruz community by armed men in police uniforms. It attributes systematic attacks on the Garifuna people to banana and oil palm companies, as well as real estate and tourism developers such as the Indura hotel, Punta Izopo National Park, Macerica, and Idetrisa. The statement highlights the Honduran government's failure to enforce a 2015 Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling requiring the restitution of 2,840 hectares of ancestral territory and specific parcels held by the Tela Workers’ Union and private companies. It calls for the immediate return of the kidnapped individuals and an end to the criminalization of indigenous land defenders.

Friends of the Earth International denounces the July 18 kidnapping of four leaders from the Triunfo de la Cruz community and OFRANEH in Honduras. The statement links this violence to a broader pattern of systematic aggression by banana and palm oil companies, as well as real estate and tourism developers such as INDURA, MACERICA, and IDETRISA. It highlights the Honduran state's failure to comply with a 2015 Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling regarding land restitution for the Triunfo de la Cruz community.

Friends of the Earth International expresses indignation over the July 18 kidnapping of four members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) from the Triunfo de la Cruz community. The statement links these disappearances to a broader pattern of systematic aggression against the Garifuna people by banana companies, oil palm plantations, and the real estate and tourism industries. It specifically highlights land usurpation by the Indura hotel complex, Punta Izopo national park, and the companies Macerica and Idetrisa. The document emphasizes that the Honduran state has failed to execute a 2015 Inter-American Court of Human Rights sentence requiring the restitution of 2,840 hectares of ancestral territory and other specific land parcels. The organization calls for the immediate return of the kidnapped individuals and an end to the neoliberal model of land privatization.

Friends of the Earth International argues that the COVID-19 pandemic is a consequence of a capitalist and neoliberal system that prioritizes profit over people and nature. To achieve a 'just recovery,' the organization proposes four principles: abandoning neoliberalism and austerity, enhancing multilateral cooperation and international solidarity, strengthening democracy and human rights, and addressing the structural causes of systemic crises (climate, biodiversity, food, and care). The document calls for the nationalization of key public services, the cancellation of Global South debt, a transition to 100% renewable energy under public or community control, and the implementation of agroecological food systems. It specifically emphasizes the need to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples, Black and Afro-descendant communities, and women, while ending the impunity of transnational corporations.

Friends of the Earth International proposes a framework for a 'just recovery' following the COVID-19 pandemic, asserting that the crisis is a result of a neoliberal, capitalist, and patriarchal system. The report outlines four principles: abandoning neoliberalism and austerity, fostering multilateral cooperation and international solidarity, strengthening democracy and human rights, and implementing a transformative system change. Key recommendations include the abolition of debts for the Global South, the transition to 100% renewable energy, the promotion of food sovereignty through agroecology, and the end of corporate impunity for transnational companies.

The document asserts that North Carolina's voting infrastructure is inadequate for a pandemic, citing low vote-by-mail usage and a history of gerrymandering. It links poor electoral representation to systemic issues in community health and environmental justice, recommending specific upgrades to voting access and procedures for the 2020 election.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) argues that the EPA has systematically undermined scientific integrity since January 2017 through political censorship, the sidelining of expert advisory committees, and the suppression of research. The report details specific instances of scientific failure—such as the reversal of a chlorpyrifos ban and the delay of a formaldehyde assessment—and proposes a comprehensive roadmap for reform. Key recommendations include lifting hiring freezes on scientific positions, rescinding rules that restrict the use of confidential data in regulatory science, and establishing a formal process for resolving differing scientific opinions. The document also emphasizes the need to eliminate industry conflicts of interest among political appointees and to protect the rights of scientists to communicate their findings to the public without political interference.

The author highlights several 2020 court rulings that overturned Trump Administration environmental rollbacks, emphasizing that the U.S. EPA and Bureau of Land Management must prioritize science and public health over industry costs. The text argues these legal wins are critical for protecting marginalized communities, particularly Black and brown people and Tribal lands, from pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

A coalition of health and environmental organizations is advocating for New York State legislation to ban PFAS in food packaging, citing severe health risks, the availability of safer alternatives, and the disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities.

The document outlines the systemic health and environmental costs of plastics, from fossil fuel extraction to waste management, and warns that projected production growth will consume a substantial portion of the remaining global carbon budget.

The paper examines nature-based solutions (NbS) in coastal cities across India, South Africa, Seychelles, and Tanzania, highlighting how integrating traditional knowledge and community empowerment can enhance urban resilience. It argues that for NbS to be effective in the Global South, they must be aligned with broader development agendas to address socio-economic inequalities and generate green jobs.

The document argues that rising sea levels and extreme coastal flooding threaten approximately 2,000 Superfund sites along the US East and Gulf Coasts, potentially releasing hazardous chemicals into nearby communities. It highlights that these risks disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income households, who are more likely to live near these sites. The authors criticize the Trump administration for sidelining climate science and rescinding resilience-focused executive orders, and they recommend a new executive order and interagency coordination to integrate climate science into Superfund site risk assessments.

The document describes a two-part methodology: first, using a "bathtub model" combining Digital Elevation Models, tidal gauge data, and NOAA sea level rise projections to map future 100-year-flood zones; second, performing a buffer analysis around 9,689 Superfund sites to determine if people of color and low-income households are disproportionately located near sites at risk of flooding.

The document highlights the intersection of public health disparities and voting access in Michigan, arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates urgent reforms to the state's election processes. It specifically calls for scaling up vote-by-mail (VBM) capacity, improving ballot verification and correction procedures, and establishing early in-person voting centers to protect voters' health and ensure representation, particularly for marginalized communities of color who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.