Pollution

For his Senior Project, Terrell Carter decided to study the environmental impacts of the pulp and paper industry, present some solutions to these impacts, and work to change his school’s purchasing habits and to increase paper consciousness. Carter succeeded in his goal of “Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling”: Lopez School faculty and students now give more thought to their paper consumption (for example, they print double-sided), reuse paper, and buy recycled paper.

Yes, we've all heard about the different instances where the Chinese government has banned something- whether it be access to the uncensored internet or people with "mental diseases" from the Olympics. However, this time the ban is something we should all be applauding- the ban of free plastic bags.

Two members of the New York City Council have introduced a trailblazing bill, Intro. 104, the Electronics Collection, Recycling, and Reuse Act, which, if passed later this year, would be the first mandatory municipal electronics recycling law in the country. It would make manufacturers responsible for collection and disposal of products when no longer usable, instead of leaving this task to consumers, who often simply dump them in the trash.

Want to find out how much carbon your local power plant—or one in Neyveli, India, or perhaps Duvha, South Africa—is spewing out? Now, you can, using a new interactive map that helps you make informed decisions on which polluters need to reduce emissions.

Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA), a massive database containing information on the carbon emissions of more than 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide, was unveiled last week. It is the first global inventory of a major emissions-producing sector of the economy accounting for 40% of all carbon emissions in the United States and about one-quarter of global emissions. Data from CARMA will allow concerned citizens, investors, consumers, and environmentalists to pressure top polluters to clean up their acts, worldwide.

CARMA is produced and financed by the Confronting Climate Change Initiative at the Center for Global Development, an independent and non-partisan think tank located in Washington, D.C.

To try it out, visit carma.org.