CSIU Weekly News Bulletin - February 21, 2024

Our weekly bulletin collects and digests news of the past week. Contributions welcome.

We are pleased to return to your inbox for the 2023-2024 academic year. You can expect a biweekly newsletter that compiles the latest science policy news at the local, national, and international level. Please send any articles, questions, or comments to Rose Schnabel at raschnab@iu.edu.

Best, CSIU newsletter authors Rose, Amangul, and Ana

NEWS ITEMS AND ARTICLES

ABC News: Montana’s new law banning climate impact reviews sparks backlash from environmental experts

House Bill 971, would prevent state regulators from considering greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts when conducting environmental reviews.

AP News: Environmental groups sue to force government to finalize ship speed rules that protect rare whales

The proposed ship speed rules would require vessels off the East Coast to slow down more often to help save the North Atlantic right whale.

American Institute of Physics: White House tweaks list of critical and emerging technologies

The White House has refined its list of key technologies relevant to national security but cautions the document “should not be interpreted as a priority list for either policy development or funding.”

The Washington Post: Biden administration weighs slowing the shift to electric vehicles

Facing pressure from Detroit and unions, the Environmental Protection Agency may delay tailpipe emissions rules aimed at speeding the EV transition.

Nature: Largest post-pandemic survey finds trust in scientists is high

Study of more than 70,000 people suggests that trust levels vary among countries and are linked to political orientation.

REGIONAL NEWS

Indiana Capital Chronicle: College faculty overwhelmingly opposed to bill seeking to end “viewpoint discrimination”

Students and professors who testified for more than three hours Wednesday said that Indiana SB 202 could “chill” free expression.

IndyStar: Indiana lawmakers stripped protections for wetlands. Here's why that matters to other states

Governor Holcomb signed the bill into law on February 12th despite a petition from the Hoosier Environmental Council that garnered more than 1,300 signatures.

Indiana Public Media: Report: Heat, pollution and wildfires expected to make Indiana's air quality worse in 2054

While wildfires out West are driving most of this change, the poor air quality we’ll see in Indiana and the Great Lakes region is mostly due to ozone — also known as smog.

WTHR: Indiana senators consider bill to deal with state's nursing shortage

According to the Indiana Hospital Association, by 2031, the state will need an additional 5,000 to meet the growing demands of an aging population.

OPINION AND ANALYSIS

The New York Times: Cultivated meat’s empty promise of revolution

Cultivated meat offered a delicious fantasy: that we can consume our way out of climate catastrophe. 

The New York Times: Fires are the sum of our choices

Climate change, ecology, and fire suppression have combined to bring us the return of the “urban firestorms.”

The Washington Post: How the housing industry is working to stop energy efficient homes

Home builders have used their political muscle to prevent states and cities from adopting the latest code, which would lower the climate impact of new houses

The Washington Post: Supreme Court reviews EPA plan to cut pollution that crosses state lines

An EPA rule cracking down on cross-state pollution is before the justices on an emergency basis

CNN: Study: Longtime ice sheet could melt again; raise sea levels 

Scientists who drilled into Earth's oldest ice sheet in Antarctica warn of possible rapid ice melting that could lead to global flooding. 

NPR: Migrating animals undergo perilous journeys every year. Humans make it more dangerous

This first of its kind report by the United Nations found that nearly half of the world's already threatened migratory species have declining populations. Humans are contributing to these numbers.

Scientific American: Solar geoengineering looks to Silicon Valley for new wave of funding

Tech billionaires are funding research into controversial methods for cooling the planet. 

TAKE ACTION AND RESOURCES FOR ACTIVISTS

Union of Concerned Scientists: Tell Google: Stop profiting off climate disinformation

More than 60 percent of popular climate denial articles still carry Google ads despite the company's policy not to profit from climate disinformation.

The CSIU Weekly News Bulletin is now available on the web. To view this page online go to https://csiub.org/weekly-news-bulletins.  To view archives of past bulletins, see https://csiub.org/bulletin-archives. 

Our CSIU news bulletin is intended to provide a brief update on recent news, editorials, as well as action items related to science integrity and science policy. Note that editorial pieces and action items are assembled from a variety of sources and organizations; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy priorities of Concerned Scientists @ IU. This week’s news bulletin was compiled by ASIU members senior Rose Schnabel, senior Amangul Hydyrova, and junior Ana Lim. If you’d like to volunteer—or if you have additional links you’d like to share for future bulletins, send them to Rose at raschnab@iu.edu.

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