It has long been known that the poorest and those from minority ethnic communities shoulder the greatest burden from air pollution – and now a study has provided compelling evidence.

Researchers used sensors mounted on satellites and aircraft to map nitrogen dioxide across 11 major US cities and researchers were able to map the pollution exposure.

The poorest areas in New York and Newark – defined as those with more than one-fifth of households below the poverty level – had air pollution about 26% greater than wealthier areas. In Los Angeles, black, Hispanic and Asian communities of the lowest socioeconomic status endured average pollution that was 38% greater than their non-Hispanic, white counterparts – the greatest difference of any of the cities studied.

Poorest areas bear brunt of air pollution, US study shows | Air pollution | The Guardian

The effects of global warming have brought our planet to the brink of a number of tipping points.  Passing one tipping point is often likely to help trigger others.

“The Earth may have left a ‘safe’ climate state beyond 1C global warming,” the researchers concluded.

A major study shows five dangerous tipping points may already have been passed due to the 1.1C of global heating caused by humanity to date.

The analysis, published in the journal Science, assessed more than 200 previous studies on past tipping points, climate observations and modelling studies. A tipping point is when a temperature threshold is passed, leading to unstoppable change in a climate system, even if global heating ends.

These include the collapse of Greenland’s ice cap, eventually producing a huge sea level rise, the collapse of a key current in the north Atlantic, disrupting rain upon which billions of people depend for food, and an abrupt melting of carbon-rich permafrost.

At 1.5C of heating, the minimum rise now expected, four of the five tipping points move from being possible to likely, the analysis said. Also at 1.5C, an additional five tipping points become possible, including changes to vast northern forests and the loss of almost all mountain glaciers.

In total, the researchers found evidence for 16 tipping points, with the final six requiring global heating of at least 2C to be triggered, according to the scientists’ estimations. The tipping points would take effect on timescales varying from a few years to centuries.

Prof Johan Rockström, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who was part of the study team, said: “The world is heading towards 2-3C of global warming. This sets Earth on course to cross multiple dangerous tipping points that will be disastrous for people across the world. To maintain liveable conditions on Earth and enable stable societies, we must do everything possible to prevent crossing tipping points.”

The nine global tipping points identified are: the collapse of the Greenland, west Antarctic and two parts of the east Antarctic ice sheets, the partial and total collapse of Amoc, Amazon dieback, permafrost collapse and winter sea ice loss in the Arctic.

A further seven tipping points would have severe regional effects, including the die-off of tropical coral reefs and changes to the west African monsoon. Other potential tipping points still being studied include the loss of ocean oxygen and major shifts in the Indian summer monsoon.

The assessment of the Amazon tipping point did not include the effects of deforestation. “The combination of the warming and the deforestation could bring that a lot sooner,” Dr David Armstrong McKay at the University of Exeter, a lead author of the study, said.

The scientists define crossing a tipping point as “possible” when its minimum temperature threshold is passed and “likely” beyond the central threshold estimate.

Prof Niklas Boers, at the Technical University of Munich, said: “The review is a timely update on the Earth’s potential tipping elements, and the threat of tipping events under further warming is real.”

World on brink of five ‘disastrous’ climate tipping points, study finds | Climate crisis | The Guardian

In January 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty, approximately 3.3 million more than in 2019 – that’s an official poverty rate of 11.4 percent, up 1.0 percentage point from 10.5 percent in 2019.  The “poverty threshold” for a four-person family in 2020 was $26,496.

The Census Bureau also reported that between 2019 and 2020, the poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics. Among non-Hispanic Whites, 8.2 percent were in poverty in 2020, while Hispanics had a poverty rate of 17.0 percent.  In addition, Black Americans had the highest poverty rate at 19.5 percent.

Kimberly Amadeo points out, “Between 1979 and 2007, after-tax income increased by 275% for the most affluent 1% of households. It rose by 65% for the top fifth. For the bottom fifth, it only increased by 18%, even adding all income from Social Security, welfare, and other government payments.”

The Federal Reserve reports that in 1989 the top 1 percent controlled 23.5 percent of the nation’s wealth and, in 2022, its share had increased to 31.8 percent or $44.9 trillion. 

Gender inequality

Pew Research reports “the gender gap in pay has remained relatively stable in the United States over the past 15 years or so.”  In 2020, it reports, “women earned 84% of what men earned.”  It further points out, “based on this estimate, it would take an extra 42 days of work for women to earn what men did in 2020

Racial inequality

A 2018 Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis concluded, “The historical data also reveal that no progress has been made in reducing income and wealth inequalities between black and white households over the past 70 years.”

Racial inequality persists through the unequal distribution of economic opportunity, education, healthcare and neighborhood conditions. It involves racial disparities in wealth, education, employment, housing, mobility, health, rates of arrest and incarceration, to name but a few factors. Of special concern, the nation’s demographic character is fundamentally changing.  As the 2020 Census makes clear that the demographic clock is ticking against the notion that the U.S. is a “white” nation.  The racial/ethnic composition of the country is changing and, by 2050, the U.S. is projected be a “majority-minority” country, with white non-Hispanics making up less than half of the total population.

Legal inequality

The Sentencing Project reports that “Black Americans are imprisoned at a rate that is roughly five times the rate of white Americans.”  Yet, Black or African Americans make up only 13.6 percent of the nation’s population. A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences found that “dying at the hands of law enforcement is a leading cause of death among young Black men.” Going further, it noted that “1 in 1,000 Black men and boys can be expected to be killed by police at some point in their lifetime.”  It also notes that that Black males are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white males.”

Health/wellness inequality

Amidst the Covid pandemic, the U.S. was characterized by zones of “vaccine deserts,” geographic areas where people have little or no convenient access to vaccines. According to one estimate, 17 million people live in rural vaccine deserts and 50 million people live in urban vaccine deserts.

Urban/rural inequality

The U.S. is becoming an ever-increasing urban nation with about 83 percent of the population living in cities. Rural America is losing it population to more attractive urban centers, most often supporting Democrats. During the decade following the Great Recession of 2007–2009, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in rural America lagged behind urban GDP growth.  Rural areas in the aggregate experienced post-recession growth of 14.8 percent while urban areas registered 19.2 percent growth.

In the 2016 election, “Trump votes was higher in counties with a higher share of white, middle-income, US-born, rural and less-educated voters. In that more unequal states were more likely to vote for Trump.”

A  CBS survey for the 2020 elections.  It found that for families with income under $50,000, 55 percent voted for Biden while 44 percent voted for Trump; for families with income of $50,000 or more 51 percent voted for Biden while 47 percent voted for Trump.  However, for families with incomes of over $100,000, 54 percent voted for Trump while 42 percent voted for Biden.

America: The Land of Inequality – CounterPunch.org

 Introduction from the Refuser Solidarity Network:

Conscientious objector Einat Gerlitz, 19, is currently serving a 7 day prison sentence for her refusal to enlist in the Israeli army and take part in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Two other conscientious objectors, Nave Shabtay Levin (18) and Evyatar Moshe Rubin (19), are currently imprisoned and another, Shahar Schwartz (18) is awaiting trial for the second time after he was jailed for 10 days. Below is Einat’s refusal statement. Hi,



My name is Einat Gerlitz, I am 19 years old, and I just completed one year of civil service. At the age of 16, when the enlisting process started and discussions turned to what would be a “meaningful army service”. I asked myself what a meaningful service might mean. 



In high school I was a youth activist on issues of climate change, and through this activism I met youth from all over Israel. I met Palestinian youth from Sakhnin, and together we thought about the future of our generation in the reality of the climate crisis. Through my connection with them I learned about the experience of Palestinians who live in Israel and that encouraged me to learn about the hard life of Palestinians who are under Israeli occupation. I knew there is a violent regime in the west bank, but I did not know how that statement translated into an everyday reality. The acquaintance with the Palestinian activists led me to start asking questions and to wonder about the connection between serving in the Israeli army and the violent regime of the occupation. 



I wondered how I could work  in solidarity  with Palestinians, while at the same time being part of the army that violently controls them. As time went by, I was exposed to the hidden realities of the occupation. To the reality of hundreds of children being arrested by the army every year, and by the effect of these arrests on the children’s future; the reality of soldiers who prevent Palestinians from accessing their land and limit their ability to earn a living; the reality of the support that the army gives settlers’ violence against Palestinians. I realized that to serve in the army is a political choice, and I chose to refuse. 



My friends say that serving  in the army is a lifetime opportunity. But I think that the act of refusing is my chance to use my privilege as an Israeli Jew in order to actively change our cruel reality. This reality hides behind the one-sided Zionist narrative that we learned. The generations before built the nation not on empty lands but on top of Palestinians who lived there before. We are not better than the Palestinians. They deserve the same basic democratic rights, the same independence, the same access to water, freedom of movement, education, and a secure life.  



Therefore, I choose to refuse to take part of an army that control the Palestinian people and deprive them of their freedom. 



In my act of refusal, I take responsibility for the society I live in. I want to live in a society whose people do not surrender to silencing. I want to live in society that knows how to acknowledge the experiences of different people even if it destabilizes its official narrative. 



I call on my age group to open their eyes and ask questions – does violent control over civilian population can bring security? Do not weapons and violence increase hatred and desire for revenge? Who would you be if you grew up with the threat of guns and with nightly searching operations in your neighborhood? I refuse because I want to remind you that there are children living there, on the other side of the wall. Children like you and like me. 



In solidarity,

Einat



See also here: Oren Ziv, ‘Refusing is the minimum’: Why these Israeli teens are objecting to army service, +972, September 2, 2022 (https://www.972mag.com/four-conscientious-objectors-israel-army/)





Taken from 

Israeli teens refuse to join army – World Socialist Party US (wspus.org)

 The number of children confirmed killed or injured in Ukraine passed 1,000 today, a grim milestone after six months of war, Save the Children said today.

Since 24 February, an average of five children have been killed or injured in Ukraine every day.

 Big oil and gas companies are spending tens of millions on adverts publicising their environmental work, while only about a 10th of their investment goes into low-carbon development, a comprehensive study of public communications from five oil and gas firms by InfluenceMap, a climate finance thinktank, found. 

 60% of the ads made at least one claim highlighting the companies’ positive climate actions. But on average, the five companies devoted only 12% of capital expenditure to low-carbon activities – and this included some gas projects.

Less than one in four ads highlighted the companies’ fossil fuel activities, InfluenceMap said, which suggested that the companies were spending about $750m a year on communications aimed at burnishing their climate credentials.

Researchers looked at 3,421 public communications materials published by BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies in 2021, including articles and blog posts on corporate websites, press releases, reports, speeches and company and CEO social media accounts. They found that 60% made at least one green claim, with the most popular being centred on efforts to “transition the energy mix”. However, analysis of the capital expenditure of the five companies found that all were forecast to increase their oil and gas production, with the exception of BP, which was expected to have similar levels in 2026 as in 2021.

“Essentially, we found that big oil is spending millions of dollars on this green PR, and it is a really systematic campaign to portray themselves as pro-climate,” said Faye Holder, program manager at InfluenceMap. “But at the same time, they are still lobbying to lock in fossil fuels and investing in a really unsustainable energy future with high levels of oil and gas, and very low spend on low-carbon activities.” She added, “…it’s really clear they want to dissociate themselves from oil and gas, and attach themselves to this climate agenda.”

Shell made the most green claims, with 70% of public communications stressing pro-environmental activities, while just 10% of capital expenditure was invested in low carbon, which included some gas projects, according to InfluenceMap’s report. ExxonMobil made green claims in 70% of its communications, while devoting 8% of capital expenditure to low carbon. For TotalEnergies, 62% of communications made green claims, with 25% of capital investment going towards low carbon.

Oil and gas firms’ green investments fail to match promise of adverts – study | Fossil fuels | The Guardian

 “..caring is an innate part of being human…”,  Durham University archaeologist Prof Charlotte Robertson

 A new vaccine could eradicate malaria. The R21 vaccine is already shown to be 77% effective after the initial doses and maintains its high efficacy after a single booster jab.

Prof Adrian Hill, director of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, said R21 could help to reduce deaths from the disease by 70% by 2030 and eradicate it by 2040.

Good news.

The bad news is that getting the vaccine into the arms of tens of millions of African children who most need it would be a challenge without funding.

The body that provides more than half of all financing for the world’s malaria programmes, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, has warned that unless it receives significantly more money from leading donor countries such as the UK at its pledging conference this month, it will not be able to get the fight against those diseases back on track after the Covid pandemic.

The UK has not yet said what it will pledge in New York, but the fund is thought to have asked for about £1.8bn. As foreign secretary, Truss outlined a strategy for overseas aid marked by an overall spending reduction and a retreat from the funding of multilateral organisations like the Global Fund.

“It’s incredibly important that the Global Fund is properly refunded. What they do is absolutely amazing,” said Hill.

Prof Halidou Tinto, regional director of the health sciences research institute (IRSS) in Nanoro, and the Burkina Faso trial principal investigator, said that while production was not expected to be an issue, the big challenge for poor African countries was how to fund the vaccine’s rollout. “This may be … the issue that could delay the deployment,” he said.

Malaria vaccine a step closer as experts urge Truss not to ‘turn off the tap’ on funding | Global health | The Guardian

 The Human Development Index was launched in 1990 in an effort to look beyond GDP as a measure of well-being.

 One in 10 American households struggled to feed their families last year, with more than 5 million families missing meals and cutting portions due to poverty, new government research reveals.

 In the richest country in the world, children in 274,000 American households went hungry, skipped meals or did not eat for entire days because there was not enough money to buy food.

2.3m are unable to afford adequate nutritional food at times during 2021, according to the annual food insecurity report by the USDA.

The climate breakdown and Russia’s war in Ukraine are pushing up food prices, and the cost of groceries in July was up 13.1% compared to last year, with the price of cereal, bread and dairy products rising even higher.

One in four Americans rely on federal nutrition assistance such as food stamps and free school lunches. The rates are higher among Indigenous, Black and Latino households. Households are now also under more pressure as states roll back pandemic-linked financial support such as free school meals for every child, child tax credits and many states now stopping expanded food stamp benefits.

Realtime data from the US Census survey “suggest that food hardship has been steadily rising in families with children this year”, said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.

Every month, millions of Americans are forced to choose between paying for rent, healthcare, bills, childcare and groceries, because they are not paid a living wage. Food insecurity and unequal access to grocery stores play a major role in a range of public health epidemics, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay, as unhealthy processed foods with high levels of fat and sugar are often cheaper and more accessible than healthier options.

Food insecurity has never fallen below 10% since 2000.

One in 10 US households struggles to afford enough food, study finds | US news | The Guardian