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Single-use plastic bans, taxes are on the rise around the world
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalOn March 1, New York became the second U.S. state to ban plastic bags. The ban in California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, has reduced disposable plastic bag usage by as much as 80%. In 2019, Canada did away with single-use plastics and eliminated other plastic pollution. More than 60 other nations are attempting to reduce single-use plastics through bans and taxes, according to the United Nations.
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Heathrow’s future stalled as third runway is ruled unlawful
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotivePlans to build a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport have stalled as the U.K.'s Court of Appeal ruled the government's decision to allow it to be built was unlawful. The decision has been seen as a victory for climate change activists and those living around the airport who faced compulsory land purchase and years of disruption followed by the misery of extra noise and air pollution. However, for Heathrow and the U.K.'s air travel industry, it is a major blow that will mean a complete rethink over future strategy.
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US higher education funding has a long way to go
Patrick Gleeson EducationThe state of higher education funding in the U.S. was recently described in a carefully documented report released in February. The report comes from a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded organization with the somewhat wonky title, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO). What it tells us about education spending in this country is discouraging. Not only does U.S. higher education funding have a long way to go — there’s no obvious way to get there.
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New Jersey community defends local school against Rutgers hospital plans
Michelle R. Matisons EducationWhile public education battles continue, there are case studies that are emblematic of community contradictions. Higher education, even publicly funded institutions, can exist in a world apart from the K-12 system. The recent conflict between Rutgers University, which is attempting to take over New Brunswick’s Lincoln Annex School, located in a predominantly Latino community, is an example of ongoing education battles that involve different arenas, testing academia’s pro-public education rhetoric.
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Threats on tap: Why America’s water woes are even worse than you…
Dave G. Houser Waste Management & EnvironmentalUnregulated perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — chemicals stubbornly resistant to environmental breakdown and linked to serious health problems — are contaminating drinking water in communities across the country. Tests carried out by the watchdog organization Environmental Working Group have uncovered these chemicals in tap water samples from 44 sites in 31 states. The nation's drinking water problem, however, goes way beyond just PFAS contamination. There are three additional concerns affecting our most precious of resources.
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Law enforcement reforms regarding the mentally ill show gradual improvement
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityPortland, Oregon, recently made news with law enforcement reform efforts regarding mentally ill citizens. Six years ago, the city pledged to make police reforms mandated by the federal government. The city has declared those efforts a success, though it has admitted that work at the state and the local levels need improvement. These reforms are intended to curb excessive force against mentally ill people, a pressing issue that departments across the nation need to analyze and improve.
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Will the coronavirus outbreak cause a global economic downturn?
Linchi Kwok Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is at a turning point from an epidemic to a pandemic. According to an update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Feb. 22, a total of 32 countries have reported confirmed cases. In South Korea, for example, confirmed infected cases went up to 763 on Feb. 24. Six days earlier, the country only had 31 cases. On Feb. 23, Italy reported that three people had died, and 152 others had been infected with coronavirus; Iran also reported 43 confirmed infected cases. Airlines are canceling months of flights to and from China amid coronavirus fears.
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Why Medicare for All could be a boon for startups, entrepreneurs
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIs expanding Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people age 65 and up and some younger folks with disabilities, bad or good for entrepreneurs and business startups? Under a Medicare for All (M4A) system, Uncle Sam would replace the private insurance industry. "The impact of Medicare for All will be significant and lead to an acceleration in new business startups," Wendell Potter, a healthcare insurance industry executive, told MultiBriefs via email. "The current system in the United States, in which a majority of working-age adults get coverage through an employer, is a major impediment to business startups."
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Interior Department’s proposed rule modernization values oil and…
Michelle R. Matisons Natural ResourcesThe highly politicized release of recent polar bear studies reveal at least part of Ursus maritimus' survival depends on Trump-era Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rule modernization, which now considers "economic impacts" while denying climate change impacts. A seismic study of potential drilling land in Area 1002 was called off last winter because the required Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was deemed incomplete. Less than one year later, the Bureau of Land Management has released a more thorough, pro-drilling EIS.
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Purple Heart recipient Sen. Tammy Duckworth proposes law to prevent deportation…
Rebecca Walker Donaldson Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityIn early February 2020, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a wounded Iraq War veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart in 2004, introduced legislation to assist military members who, following their service and honorable discharge, face deportation. The new bill, called the Strengthening Citizenship Services for Veterans Act, would require Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers to allow deportees to attend appointments at ports of entry, consulates or embassies without having to make their case for advance parole, a complicated process that ensures reentry to noncitizens who leave the U.S.
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