On February 7, the EPA announced its revision of one of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). It tightened the regulation of annual Fine Particulate Matter – particles measuring 2.5 microns or less, known as PM2.5 and sometimes referred to as soot. When a federal agency takes small steps to do something that helps protect communities and the planet, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate it. But there is a caveat (isn’t there always a caveat with good environmental news?). Since the revision of the standard was publicly announced, the AP reports that 25 states and a variety o ..read more

ESG investors aren’t the only group of people who sometimes wonder if their efforts to save the planet are truly worthwhile. After all, earth’s climate is rapidly approaching an environmental tipping point, right? “Motivated by equal parts fatalism and exhaustion, many [people] are reporting less enthusiasm in causes they’ve typically cared strongly about—like the environment,” says a 2024 Trends Report from Starcom, a global marketing firm based in Chicago. Doubt and cynicism are even creeping into the minds of academic researchers. “When wildfire smoke makes it dangerous to even go outside ..read more

Every year, employers in the U.S. steal an estimated $50 billion in wages from their workers, which makes wage theft the single largest form of illegal business activity according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). This egregious crime takes a variety of shapes, including some obvious ones such as paying less than minimum wage or denying overtime pay to qualified workers (misclassifying them as exempt), and more insidious forms such as deducting meal breaks from timesheets, charging workers for breaking a product, or requiring work to be performed off the clock. The worst thing about wa ..read more

In early October, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) marked a new chapter in the history of sustainability by fining Dish Network $150,000 for abandoning one of its satellites in an orbit that was well below an acceptable elevation. This action is shining the spotlight on an issue that has been largely ignored until now—the “space junk” that satellite and aviation companies leave behind after equipment has outlived its usefulness. Littering the skies is not only irresponsible corporate behavior, it’s also downright dangerous. Every year, there are dozens of near collisions between d ..read more

Believe it or not, the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S. is extreme heat. While heatwaves don’t trigger the dramatic headlines that natural disasters generate, they should be on you radar screen—especially if you invest in utilities, infrastructure stocks, municipal bonds, or commodities. From 2004 through 2018, exposure to excessive heat contributed to 10,527 deaths, with the majority (90%) happening in the summer months of May through September, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As these numbers are updated, they will undoubtedly show that th ..read more

Heat-related illnesses and deaths are mostly preventable. However, more than 1220 people die from extreme heat each year, with 3066 succumbing from heat-related illnesses between 2018-2022. During the Summer of 2023, there were 194 confirmed heat-associated deaths in just one Arizona county, while hundreds of other deaths are still under investigation. A recent study estimated that temperature-related deaths in the U.S. could increase fivefold by 2100. Exposure to high temperatures causes cramps, rashes, exhaustion, heat stroke, and death. When humidit ..read more

It’s all over but the shouting, as the saying goes. The war on ESG investing, financed by Big Business and waged by political opportunists who built a straw man out of “woke capitalism,” is rapidly running out of steam. “Recent polls show limited enthusiasm among the public for the ‘anti-woke’ culture war that GOP politicians have launched against corporations’ handling of environmental and social causes — including among many Republican primary voters,” Politico reported in August. It turns out that people don’t want the government meddling in the way they invest, or the way Wall Street and ..read more

Access to healthcare plays a crucial role in ensuring the well being of individuals within a society. The Constitution of the World Health Organization states,“The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition”. Unfortunately, the availability and quality of healthcare services are often influenced by various societal factors that can make it difficult to obtain adequate medical care. These factors include socioeconomic disparities, cultural bel ..read more

Forests form a crucial part of our ecosystem by provide homes to wildlife, supporting biodiversity and helping to reduce the impacts of climate change. Destroying forests has become a major global problem owing to human activities such as agriculture, urban developments and mining. With new technologies several forestry companies, startups and other organizations are combating deforestation in multiple ways. Deforestation worsens climate change by releasing significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and reducing the earth’s ability to absorb carbon. Advanced technologies ..read more

Age discrimination is “one of the last socially acceptable prejudices” in the U.S., according to the American Psychological Association (APA). In fact, discriminating against people based on inaccurate and negative stereotypes about age is so ingrained in our workplace and broader culture in the US that it often goes unnoticed or ignored. While most large companies combat racial and gender bias with DEI policies and training, “age bias is seldom on the radar,” according to the APA. The problem seems to be most acute in the sales departments of many well-known pharmaceutical companies, where ..read more