Climate 411

Your Health: Tips for Healthy, Low-Carbon Living

Sheryl CanterThis post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Happily, actions that promote a healthy environment also tend to promote personal health. Using muscle power for transportation by walking and biking gives you the best kind of exercise, and also reduces your carbon footprint. Drinking tap water rather than bottled gives you clean water at one-thousandth the price.

You can use the money you save by avoiding bottled water to make better food choices – in particular, organic produce and dairy from grassfed animals. It also helps both you and the environment to avoid processed foods and foods with heavy packaging.

For more ideas, check out our article Tips for a Healthy, Low-Carbon Life, part of our coverage of National Public Health Week and the impact of climate change on our nation’s health.

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Your Health: Dangers from Global Warming

Sheryl CanterThis post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Global warming can endanger your health in many different ways. The more intense storms it brings not only cause direct loss of life, but also illness and death from contaminated food and water. Heat waves can cause lethal heat strokes, and also ozone smog that triggers breathing problems.

For more on where the dangers lie and what you can do to protect yourself, check out our article on Health Dangers from a Warming Planet, part of our coverage of National Public Health Week and the impact of climate change on our nation’s health.

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For Now, No Congestion Pricing in NYC

Andy DarrellThis post is by Andy Darrell, vice president of the Living Cities Program at Environmental Defense Fund.

Yesterday, the New York State Legislature failed to pass congestion pricing for New York City (see NY1 report), thus forgoing $354 million in federal funds.

Today more than ever, New York and America’s other big cities need solutions for clean air and better transit – our health, climate and economy depend on it. Over the past year, an extraordinary majority of New Yorkers came together to support congestion pricing, and of course today’s setback is very disappointing. But I believe that New York will continue to strive for innovative solutions, and Environmental Defense Fund is dedicated to working with leaders from across the state to help make those solutions real.

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Investment in Clean Energy is Cheaper than the Alternative

Sheryl CanterThis post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp has a compelling Op-Ed piece in today’s Wall Street Journal. He says that, “Solving global warming will be an added cost, yes – but a bargain compared with the economic cost of unchecked climate change.” The winners of the race to reinvent energy stand to make megafortunes. Here’s some of what’s in the works:

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Your Health: Who’s at Risk from Global Warming?

Sheryl CanterThis post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Today is the start of National Public Health Week, and this year’s focus is the impact of climate change on our nation’s health. The health risks from global warming are not distributed evenly, and some people are in more danger than others. Take a look at our article Health and Global Warming: Are You at Risk? Some of the risk factors may surprise you.

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The Insurance Industry Crisis

Sheryl CanterThis post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Climate change is already happening. If you don’t believe it, just ask anyone in the insurance industry, which has been bearing most of the costs. Insurance companies are scrambling to contain their exposure by hiking deductibles, limiting coverage, and often pulling out of risky markets altogether (see my previous post, "Insurance Coverage Crumbles in Coastal States").

This week, ClimateWire reporter John Fialka published a report on how climate change may shrink the insurance industry, and the "seismic economic shock" this would deliver to homeowners and businesses. He says that one solution under discussion is for the federal government to act as a backstop, shielding the private insurance industry from risk.

But that’s a bad idea – for two reasons.

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