#EnvironmentalPolicy

During a Senate subcommittee hearing, Senator Markwayne Mullin questioned witness Angelle Bradford regarding statements advocating for an end to the plastics industry. He pointed out various everyday items containing plastic—such as glasses frames, water bottles, and electronics cases—to highlight the deep societal and industrial reliance on plastic materials. The exchange emphasized the practical challenges and economic implications of attempting to completely halt plastic and petrochemical manufacturing. The questioning drew attention to the complexity of finding viable alternative materials for essential goods, ranging from medical devices to infrastructure and consumer electronics. Senator Mullin pressed for realistic solutions, arguing that widespread bans overlook how heavily modern daily life depends on plastic components. This clip captures ongoing legislative debates concerning environmental regulations, industrial manufacturing, and energy policy. By focusing on practical utility versus regulatory goals, the discussion highlights the broader economic impact of environmental policy proposals on American industries and consumers. #SenMarkwayneMullin #Plastics #EnergyPolicy #Economy #Regulations

Legislate *AND* Compensate! Extended Producer Responsibility is an environmental policy that is meant to ensure brands fund the end-of-life management of their products. Last September, the EU passed a law saying that every member state must have an EPR policy by April 2028. This is good news, but there’s a fatal flaw built into the EU’s strategy. Under the new regulation, brands will pay a fee that is meant to cover the cost of managing their waste, but where will their waste go? Only 10% of clothing collected in the EU is re-circulated within the EU [EAA], meaning that the vast majority of clothing collected is exported. UK EPR fees, which are likely to be around 10p per garment, will be added to the price and absorbed by the consumer. The government is worried about how this will go down during the cost of living crisis, but shouldn’t they be more concerned about ensuring that this 10p pays for effective, long-lasting solutions? EPR should pay for recycling, but it will take a lot of time and money to build infrastructure for a real circular economy. The EU and UK know they will continue to export the majority of our unwanted clothes to countries like Ghana and Kenya, but there’s no plan to share those funds with communities like Kantamanto and Gikomba, who ultimately do the work that EPR is meant to pay for. We want brands to take responsibility for the end-of-life of their products so policies need to align with the reality of where our clothes end up. That’s why @TheOrIsPresent has been pushing for Globally Accountable EPR, meaning funds are invested across the full value chain - from charity shops and sorters here in the UK - to Kantamanto retailers and beach cleanup initiatives. EPR can work - and it can work for everyone. Learn more 👉🏼 StopWasteColonialism.org

The next generation can only protect what they first learn to love. 🌎 That’s exactly why we’ve launched a free environmental curriculum for students ages 5 to 18. Lesson plans cover topics from rainforest wildlife and endangered species to climate change, sustainable farming, and environmental policy, all designed to help young people understand, appreciate, and care for the natural world. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, homeschooler, or simply passionate about environmental education, explore the free curriculum and help spark curiosity about the world around us. Free to download. Link in bio to learn more! 🐸📚 #EnvironmentalEducation #Nature #Conservation #Kids #Teachers

For over half a century, the Endangered Species Act has protected our plants and wildlife from permanent extinction on planet Earth. This includes the bald eagle and the whooping cranes that have long called New Mexico home. We’re now two days from Congress recessing for the holiday, and the GOP is trying to gut the ESA, alongside the National Environmental Policy Act, and after a vote last week to gut the Clean Water Act. This is Project 2025 in action, and we are fighting back—because protecting our public lands, waters, and wildlife is not negotiable!

A 200+ page bill. 75 sections. Dropped hours before debate. No time to read it. No time to question it. H.B. 5003 is an omnibus bill filled with unrelated provisions, including environmental policy and even lobster regulations. This is not transparency. This is not responsible government. This is how bad policy gets forced through in Hartford. Watch part 1 of the debate to get a real look at how the majority pushes legislation through, regardless of process or input: https://youtu.be/ofFZQJTajMc?si=POFUh1e6orU3LHHK

Iowa’s newly formed Outdoor Task Force began its work this week, with a state-appointed manager now leading the group as it develops recommendations to boost the state’s natural resources. The task force, established by the governor, has been charged with finding ways to harness Iowa’s outdoor attributes—though details about specific plans remain limited. The office, announced earlier this month in Des Moines, is expected to deliver its initial set of recommendations by early fall, according to officials familiar with the directive. The task force’s stated goal is to enhance public access, recreational opportunities, and conservation across Iowa’s parks and natural lands. Critics, including several Democratic lawmakers, have raised concerns about transparency and the lack of public input in early stages, amid broader debates over Iowa’s environmental policy and funding for public lands. #Iowa #CedarRapidsRegister #outdoors #conservation #politics

Supporting our farmers isn’t just a USDA mission—it’s an Administration priority. 🇺🇸 From health and environmental policy to our national dietary guidelines, we are working as one team to support the American farmers who put food on our tables. 🚜💨 #NationalAgDay

#savesoil An example of what happens when you pay farmers to regenerate:: In 1987 Costa Rica hit 21% forest cover, completely stripped bare from decades of logging and cattle ranching, and then something shifted that nobody talks about. They didn’t ban logging because that would’ve collapsed the entire economy and failed within five years like every other top-down environmental policy, instead they created a payment system where landowners got paid actual money to keep trees standing and it was funded through fuel taxes, this simple incentive flip where regeneration became more profitable than extraction. Farmers said yes. Trees came back and now it’s 59% forest, transformed from absolute devastation to actual forest recovery in one generation, becoming the first tropical country on Earth to ever reverse deforestation at scale. What really gets me is that this data exists everywhere. The World Bank published the full report, FAO documented the entire mechanism, Global Forest Watch tracks the satellite imagery showing exactly where the forest came back, and climate researchers cite this case constantly in their papers and at conferences. But it doesn’t reach public conversation because there’s no crisis angle to it, no villain, no catastrophe narrative, just a working solution that somehow we collectively ignore. The mechanism is completely repeatable and every single country could implement this tomorrow morning if there was political will, the policy template exists, the science proves demand is there, farmers in Costa Rica already demonstrated it works at scale and communities actually want to participate when you structure the incentives right. We choose not to do it anyway. That’s what I can’t stop thinking about and it’s the reason I made this video. Go look up the Payments for Ecosystem Services program yourself, read the actual World Bank report on Costa Rica’s forest conservation, check the satellite data from Global Forest Watch showing the recovery, then sit with the question of why this isn’t the only conversation we’re having instead of everything else. consciousplanet.org

(This is not an endorsement of Reagan and Thatcher). Conservatives have a significant environmental legacy, one that risks being erased by the current strain of politics. The agreement (and efforts) to mend the hole in the ozone was led by conservatives. In the US, the 1906 American Antiquities Act, protecting public land, and creating national forests and federal bird reserves, was led by a conservative (Theodore Roosevelt - though his legacy spans the ideologies of both left and right). The National Environmental Policy Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Clean Air Act were all achieved by conservatives (Richard Nixon, with bipartisan support). In the UK, the Clean Air Act to tackle pollution was led by a conservative (Anthony Eden). In Australia, it was a conservative that banned whaling in Australian waters, and legislated the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (Malcolm Fraser). Environmental protection was never meant for just one side of politics. Historically, many conservative governments supported clean air, water, and wildlife conservation. Environmentalism was far more bipartisan in the 20th century than it is today. Also, while I’ve attributed these successes to certain individuals, there are always many grassroots communities, NGO’s, and scientists that play an instrumental role in ensuring these issues reach government. Listening to science (and having science literacy) should be the remit of all leaders. Right across the political spectrum, we are seeing the environment be deprioritised. Which is alarming given it keeps us, you know, alive. This was my chat with @womensagenda This topic is also covered in my book, Nature’s Last Dance.

Colombia made history at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil by declaring its entire Amazon region—spanning over 483,000 square kilometers—a renewable natural resources reserve zone. This sweeping environmental policy makes Colombia the first nation in the world to completely ban new large-scale mining and oil extraction across its entire national Amazon biome, an area covering 42 percent of its territory. While the announcement solidified Colombia’s status as a global climate leader, the ambitious policy immediately hit a critical legal hurdle. The country's Ministry of the Interior paused the measure shortly after it was presented because the government bypassed prior consultation with the region's 566 Indigenous communities. Under Colombian law, any major structural change affecting ancestral lands requires formal, legally binding dialogue with local groups to ensure their territorial rights are respected. If it successfully navigates the complex consultation process and legal challenges, the ban will indefinitely shelve 43 oil projects and 286 mining applications. However, local experts warn that enforcement will be difficult, as powerful criminal networks and dissident groups continue to run highly destructive illegal gold mining operations deep within the jungle, proving that political decrees are only as powerful as the infrastructure backing them up.

India already has a water crisis. We hear abt it every single summer. Save water. Use less water. Groundwater is running out. Cities are struggling. But somehow the govt keeps approving more and more data centres in these same water stressed cities. AI isnt the problem here. The problem is knowing we have a water shortage and still deciding that water hungry infrastructure is the priority. Millions of ppl are already dealing with water scarcity and yet the race for AI seems more important than fixing the basics. Maybe instead of asking how fast we can build the future, we should ask why the govt is building it in places that are already running dry. . (India water crisis, groundwater depletion India, AI water usage, Delhi water shortage, India data center policy 2026, water scarcity India 2030, AI data center India, 200000 deaths water India, India environmental policy, Mumbai groundwater crisis, artificial intelligence, tech infrastructure, fyp, explore, facts, real, instagram) . #crisis #water #AI #fyp #indianreels

During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Hawley questioned then-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland about meetings involving the department and environmental groups, including the Wilderness Society. Hawley focused on concerns surrounding foreign-funded environmental advocacy, critical-mineral development, and the cancellation of mineral leases in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest. He pressed Haaland on who was influencing the department’s decisions and demanded direct answers rather than responses from aides. The exchange became increasingly tense as Hawley repeatedly challenged Haaland to address his questions directly, culminating in his pointed demand to know who was actually in charge of the department. The confrontation reflects a broader political battle over domestic mineral production, environmental policy, foreign influence, and America’s access to critical resources. 🔥 Watch the full exchange and decide for yourself: Was Hawley right to demand greater transparency over who was influencing these decisions? #JoshHawley #DebHaaland #SenateHearing #InteriorDepartment #CriticalMinerals