CALIFORNIA HEALTH REPORT 06/27/16 By Robin Urevich Climate change is global, but local governments are the first line of defense against carbon emissions and their effects. The United Nations Environment Program reports that 75 percent of the world’s carbon emissions come from urban areas. Now, more and more cities and […]
Author: Michael Shank
California Is Going Nuclear-Free, Which Means Everyone Else Can, Too
FAST COMPANY 6/21/16 By Michael Shank A historic deal to replace the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant with renewable energy could be a model for the rest of the country. There are few fuels that are causing more consternation in the environmental community than nuclear power. It’s seen by some as […]
How to Fight Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking?
NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER 06/17/16 By Edward Pentin Participants at a summit at the Vatican looked to build an international effort to eradicate the global scourge that has more than 40 million victims. VATICAN CITY — Lawyer Yonette Buchanan recounted a common way criminals groom young girls for trafficking. An adult […]
Trump Should Take a Lesson From the Pope on How to Lead
FORTUNE 06/07/16 By Michael Shank He might actually yield a higher ROI by trying an alternative approach. Over the weekend, Pope Francis made a political statement inside the Vatican that has direct bearing on the U.S. presidential landscape: “Politics is one of the highest forms of charity.” Noting that we […]
How Beyonce’s ‘Ivy Park’ Label Should Solve Sweatshop Scandal: Switch Suppliers
HUFFINGTON POST 5/26/17 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bedat Beyonce’s label, Ivy Park, launched in collaboration with British fast fashion company Topshop, is quickly falling short of her stated goal to “celebrate every woman and the body she’s in while always striving to be better”. Not every woman is being […]
Fast Fashion Comes at a Steep Price for the Environment
MSNBC 05/21/16 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bédat There are few industries fickler than fashion, changing annually and swapping seasonally. The good news is that fashion can, in theory, change more quickly than the energy or agricultural industries, for example. And when it comes to tackling climate change, agility and […]
This Is the Only Way to Fight Global Climate Change
FORTUNE 04/30/16 By Michael Shank and Carolyn Kissane There’s no more time for stalled sustainability measures. After 170-plus nations signed the Paris climate agreement last week and now with trans-Atlantic trade talks back on President Obama’s agenda, it’s clear that the international community’s trade rules will need to be rethought, […]
Why Forest Whitaker Is Making the UN Goals Famous
HUFFINGTON POST 04/22/16 By Michael Shank This was a big week for the United Nations, which came out strong on climate and the sustainable development goals and witnessed major milestones in recent months. First, on climate, post-Paris, there were over 160 countries signing the deal at UN headquarters on Earth […]
Point-Counter Point: Pipeline Plan Near Indian Point
JOURNAL NEWS 04/22/16 By Nancy Cutler Spectra Energy’s Algonquin pipeline expansion, which passes through Buchanan and near the nuclear power plant there, has raised concerns and won support The Algonquin natural gas pipeline expansion project that passes through four states — and right by Indian Point nuclear power plant in […]
We’re Fiddling as the Climate Burns
USA TODAY 04/19/16 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Michael Honda The elites are aflutter about the climate crisis. Here’s how to get more people alarmed and engaged. The latest frightening climate study, predicting a devastating rise in sea levels in the lifetimes of babies born today, isn’t generating the […]