AL JAZEERA 06/12/25 By Michael Shank and Marta Vashchuk This month’s peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have once again failed to bring the war any closer to a ceasefire. The only outcome – a limited agreement on prisoner exchanges – underscores a troubling truth: the current negotiation […]
NEWSWEEK 06/11/25 By Dr. Michael Shank and US Congressman Hank Johnson There is a new menace in America that is doubling down on fossil fuels, ratcheting up planet-warming emissions, overwhelming energy grids, and raising energy prices for communities. It’s the rapid, unfettered burgeoning of data centers powering our rising artificial […]
SACRAMENTO BEE 04/29/25 BY Michael Shank and Maxine Bedat For too long, the apparel industry has gotten a pass when it comes to sustainability efforts. Until now, sustainability efforts in this industry have all been voluntary, not mandatory. Consequently, greenwashing is rampant, leading consumers to believe something good is being […]
APOLITICAL 04/28/25 By Dr. Michael Shank and Ed Potosnak Americans have been feeling the pinch in recent months. There’s a reason the cost of eggs is a dinner table conversation — and frankly, the cost of everything else, including our power bills. There’s a selfish economic reason motivating many Americans […]
RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH 03/17/25 By Dr. Michael Shank and Former US Congressman Mike Honda Bullying isn’t a new phenomenon in American politics, the press or public spaces. It’s always been there, from early European settler domination of our indigenous First Nations communities to more recent hate speech and actions accosting […]
APOLITICAL 01/22/25 By Dr. Michael Shank There’s wide consensus that single-use plastics are bad for environmental and human health, which is why eight in 10 Americans support a national policy reducing their use. The fossil fuel industry, in response, is finding new homes for its products—less visible than the more […]
APOLITICAL 12/02/24 By Dr. Michael Shank and US Congressman Steve Cohen As President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team prepares executive orders to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, scientists confirm that 2024 is not only the hottest year on record but the first year to exceed the Paris agreement threshold, a […]
CITYCHANGERS 09/19/24 By Dr. Michael Shank This article was written for CityChangers.org by Dr. Michael Shank, Director of Engagement with the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. In it, he argues that it’s high time that creatives be brought in as a core component of municipal departments – rather than contracting out as […]
LINKEDIN 09/17/24 MEDIUM 09/17/24 By Dr. Michael Shank The shift to a more sustainable food system got a significant boost in Europe recently. In a first for the European Union, a French start-up filed the industry’s first application in July for market access for lab-grown foie gras. And the UK became […]
LINKEDIN 08/16/24 APOLITICAL 08/21/24 By Michael Shank As governments across Europe finally start tackling the outsized carbon footprint associated with the built environment, responsible for roughly 40 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, there’s something often overlooked that could aid or obstruct this decarbonization effort. It’s public perception. Currently, […]