Posts Tagged ‘environmental justice’
New study reveals extreme levels of microplastics in San Francisco Bay
A study carried out over three years in the San Francisco Bay revealed high levels of microplastics in stormwater, treated wastewater, surface water, and sediment. The report discovered an important previously unknown source of pollution: degrading tires. It also found that stormwater has particularly high microplastic levels, suggesting the need for better infrastructure to filter stormwater.
Read MoreOakland’s air quality problem: Can first-of-its-kind legislation solve it?
East and West Oakland have an air quality problem. In fact, children living there are diagnosed with asthma at twice the national rate. But a first-of-it’s-kind legislation for environmental justice, AB 617, is trying to fix this.
Read MoreNew bill increases funding for low-income communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
A new California Assembly Bill could bring more clean tech jobs to Oakland and reduce pollution.
Read MoreThousands rally in Oakland to call for an end to fracking
Despite early signs of rain, thousands of people converged in Oakland on Saturday in what organizers are billing as the largest anti-fracking demonstration in U.S. history, calling on Governor Jerry Brown to put an end to hydraulic fracturing in California.
Read MorePollution cuts at the port promise a breath of fresher air for West Oakland
In a boon for West Oakland residents, cancer-causing diesel pollution from the Port of Oakland’s maritime operations has plunged 70 percent.
Read MoreNew rules slash emissions at Port of Oakland, but threaten local truckers
For years, West Oakland residents have pushed government officials to do something about air quality in their neighborhood, which is sandwiched between three major highways and the Port of Oakland, and dotted with industrial sites. In particular, locals have pointed to the estimated 2,000 diesel trucks that drive in and out of the port several times each day. Diesel exhaust has been linked to increased cancer rates, premature deaths and respiratory illness, including asthma, among West Oakland residents.
Read MoreCelebrating Earth Day, Oakland-style
In easy view of crisscrossing highways and towering industrial parks, dozens of people marched through East Oakland’s flatlands wearing white surgical masks on Saturday. Families pushing strollers, men in suits, and kids with skateboards walked from Tassafaronga Recreation Center to Acorn Woodland Elementary School to celebrate ‘Love Yo Mama’ Earth Day and to call attention…
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