California to ban gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers by 2024
A gas-powered leaf blower for just one hour produces the same amount of emissions as a drive from Los Angeles to Denver.
United States
Biden to restore protections to three national monuments cut by Trump
The decision to restore the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments will protect the sites’ stunning physical beauty and fossil record, as well as substantial Native American history.
Seattle decriminalizes possession and cultivation of psychedelics
The City Council voted unanimously to decriminalize the non-commercial possession and cultivation of many psychedelics for “religious, spiritual, healing, or personal growth practices.”
New iron-based batteries offer an upgrade to storing renewable energy
“Long-duration energy storage, like this iron-flow battery, [is] key to adding more renewables to the grid,” Venkat Viswanathan, a battery expert and associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
U.S. federal judge overturns oil and gas lease sales on 58,000 acres of public lands in Colorado
A federal judge agreed with conservation groups that fracking and drilling will worsen air quality in a region where smog levels have exceeded federal pollution standards and threaten public health.
Los Angeles County is dismissing 60,000 cannabis convictions
The dismissals aim to reverse the racial injustices of drug laws as many of the cases are those of people of color disproportionately incarcerated for drug offenses.
Ford announces $11.4 billion investment in electric vehicle manufacturing
According to Ford, the move will create 11,000 jobs and enable the company to produce more than a million electric vehicles per year.
Historic Indigenous water rights agreement finalized in Montana
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are celebrating the final approval of a $1.9bn water rights settlement that resolves tribal claims throughout Western Montana and authorizes funding to 1,300 miles of canals.
Hawaii pledges to conserve, restore or grow 100 million trees by 2030
The One Trillion Trees Pledge is part of the 24-hour Global Citizen Live event today to “defend the planet and defeat poverty” and is meant to achieve net-negative carbon goals and combat climate change.
New California laws make housing more affordable and sustainable
California got three new laws that allow more homes to be built. Denser cities should shorten commutes, lower emissions, and make for more equitable housing.