Tag: Environmental equity

Rising seas are destroying homes – rebuild with wood to offset emissions

by Amy Androff, public affairs specialist, Forest Products Laboratory  • 
  As the climate warms and sea levels rise, homes and other structures on coastlines are being damaged or destroyed. Rebuilding with wood – whether on the coast or elsewhere – is the single biggest way that the losses could lower carbon emissions, reports a new modeling study by the USDA Forest Service. “Rising sea…  More 

Ride, Drive, or Walk? The Decision is Not So Simple for Some

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
In the U.S., about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions are related to travel. Many of these trips are short – perhaps a 10 minute drive to work, or a 15 minute trek to the grocery store. Using public transit, walking, or biking to these destinations could help limit carbon dioxide emissions. However, there…  More 

In the Southeast, Who’s in the Path of Smoke Plumes?

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Delivery  • 
For more than 30 years, researchers have known that poor communities and people of color in the U.S. are more likely to be affected by environmental threats such as landfills and toxic waste sites. “Are these socially vulnerable communities also exposed to more smoke from wildfires and prescribed fires?” says U.S. Forest Service scientist Cassandra…  More 

Park Access and Environmental Equity

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
 Forest Service Researcher Looks at Changing Demographics in the South When the term “environmental justice” is used, most people think of the siting of environmental hazards, but environmental justice also includes questions about access to environmental goods. For those who live in towns and cities, access to parks is one such environmental good. Little is…  More