Today’s news: closing day of Supreme Court hearings, health benefits offered from pets, climate change report
Today concludes the third day of the Supreme Court's review of the health-care law; study reports good news for chocoate lovers; a recently released report on climate change is now available. These top stories and more rounding up the morning public health news for Thursday, March 29, 2012.
EPA announces clean air standard for power plants
A new standard released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will limit emissions of carbon dioxide from new coal- and oil-fired power plants, the nation’s single-largest source of carbon pollution, a leading contributor to climate change.
Webinar: Public health vital to climate change adaptation
APHA and the CDC have been supporting a webinar series to better equip state and local public health professionals with the latest knowledge and research on climate change. The first of two webinars this year, held last week, focused on the crucial role of climate change policy in helping the public health community prepare for...
Power plants are top emitters of greenhouse gases
A new tool released Wednesday by EPA shows that power plants are by far the nation’s largest stationary source of emissions contributing to climate change. The tool makes public for the first time greenhouse gas emissions data searchable across industry from more than 6,700 facilities.
New report outlines anti-environment votes in U.S. House
Never mind this year’s wicked weather. One of the biggest concerns for environmental and public health groups in 2011 was, in fact, opposition in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Extreme weather gripped communities in all 50 states in 2011
This was a record year for wild weather. In 2011, there were at least 2,941 monthly weather records broken in communities this year throughout the U.S., according to researchers at the Natural Resources Defense Council who unveiled a new Web-based weather mapping tool Thursday.
Climate Reality Project educates communities about climate change and health
Around the nation, specially trained climate activists are speaking to community groups and engaging citizens around the urgency and solvability of the climate crisis at a grassroots level worldwide and climate’s impact on human health. The initiative is at the heart of the Climate Reality Project, founded by former Vice President Al Gore.
The health costs of climate change: $14 billion
Climate change is one of the greatest public health challenges. It’s also costing the U.S. billions of dollars every year. According to a new study published in Health Affairs, more than $14 billion was attributable to climate change over the last decade due to lives lost and health care dollars spent.
Report questions process, not science behind EPA climate regs
A report out Wednesday finds that EPA skirted procedures when developing its recent greenhouse gas emissions ruling that concludes that greenhouse gas pollution is a threat to human health. The report did not, however, question the science behind the regulations.
