toxics Archives - State of the Planet

The Ohio Toxic Train Wreck and Government’s Failure of Regulation and Response

We need to improve the way we regulate the transport, use, and disposal of toxic substances.

by |February 20, 2023

The Trump Administration’s Attack on EPA Science and Children’s Health

Government’s first priority should not be to promote business interests, but to protect the lives and health of its people.

by |October 1, 2018

The State and Local Role in Protecting America’s Environment

The U.S. EPA is shrinking at the very time we need it to expand, but the environmental functions performed by state, county, and city governments will continue to grow.

by |July 16, 2018

Greening the Internet

We don’t yet understand what the internet is doing to our politics and culture, but we do know what it’s doing to the planet.

by |May 21, 2018
plastic waste in the ocean

We Can Sustainably Manage the Environment—But We Need to Work at It

The story of plastic pollution in our coral reefs makes it clear how important it is to sustainably manage our environment.

by |January 29, 2018

Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

Denying the science of global warming is absurd, but accepting the science of climate change does not require decision-makers to accept the policy prescriptions of climate scientists.

by |January 4, 2017

EPA Spilled, but Didn’t Dump, the Toxics That Ended up in Colorado’s River

The short-term, expedient result of ignoring environmental impacts may be greater immediate profit for some, but the long-term impact is higher costs and lower profit, and many of those higher costs must be borne by all of us. Many of the companies that made the mess will be long gone before many of the bills come due.

by |August 17, 2015